Hostage
by Agent Five
Summary: Post AHBL2. Vengeance springs from an unexpected source and takes Sam. Hurt and helpless, he hopes for rescue and faces a terrifying truth about himself.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is set about a week after AHBL2 and assumes that the events predicted for season 3 have not yet occurred. Rated for violence, bloody gore and language.

**Disclaimer: **All characters and references to SUPERNATURAL remain property of Kripke's amazing brain. And, come on, you think I'd really say if I did own them:-)

* * *

It was only when he finally stopped that he realized how bone-tired he was. Sinking into one of the tattered old armchairs, he closed his eyes and could feel sleep beckoning at the edge of his thoughts.

"Dean?"

He forced his heavy eyes back open and peered up at the concerned face that frowned down at him.

"Why don't you go in back and put your head down." Bobby suggested quietly. He saw the slight shake of the younger man's head and watched him force himself to slowly sit upright. "Come on ..." Bobby continued quietly, "We've not taken a break for god-knows how long."

Frowning in annoyance and edging forward in the chair, Dean gave a more determined shake of his head and stifled a yawn.

"Dean!" Bobby sighed in frustration and then paused for a moment as he decided a change of tactic was required here. "We need you sharp." He chided gruffly, "You're no good to us like this."

Dean regarded the sombre, slight anger in the scruffy man's stern expression and seemed unsure how to respond.

"Go get some sleep. That's an order."

"Yes, sir."

Bobby watched Dean wearily get to his feet and he managed to hide the smile of relief that pulled at his mouth. He waited for Dean to stumble through to the back of the sprawling single story house and nodded in satisfaction.

Balancing his rifle against a book-covered table and shrugging off his jacket, Bobby heard footsteps approaching and turned to smile briefly.

"We need to re-stock our supplies." Ellen stated, combing her hair back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck and continuing towards Bobby. "I'll head back out."

Bobby nodded in agreement and delved a hand into the pocket of his jeans. Pulling out a collection of notes, he began to sort through them and then shrugged wearily as he held out the lot.

"Thanks." Ellen smiled thinly and turned from him.

"Ellen?"

She halted at the front door and turned back to meet the concern in Bobby's eyes.

"You know … my home is yours for as long as you need it." Bobby gave a short, uneasy laugh and shrugged his shoulders. "Such as it is." He waved his arms to indicate the disorganized furniture and scattered filing systems in the long room.

Ellen smiled and nodded her thanks. Pausing as if to say something, she then decided against it and held up the money he had given her, nodding once again before heading from the house.

Outside the day was starting to fade, the sun setting beyond the chaos of the scrap-yard that sprawled outwards from the small house. Amid the rusting car parts and pieces of broken vehicles, the sleek black Chevy seemed out of place. Ellen smiled as she looked towards the open trunk and could just make him out as he searched amid the contents within.

He heard her approach and flicked his head up, dropping back into the trunk the large hold-all he had been sorting through. "Heading for the store?"

Ellen nodded.

"I'll come with you." Sam stood up straight and closed the trunk lid.

"S'okay," Ellen shrugged, "Go inside and chill for a bit. God knows you need - "

"I'm fine!" Sam countered quickly, and a little more harshly than he had intended. He saw her flinch back from him and quickly sighed an apology. "I mean … I'd like to help."

"Sure." Ellen smiled thinly and followed him to the front of the car. Heading round to the passenger door, she slid in beside him and watched him gazing out through the windshield in silence.

Sam paused, his hand holding the key in the ignition and his pale face suddenly troubled.

"I know." Ellen leaned towards him and placed her hand on his arm. "It seems an impossible task …"

"There's just so _many_ of them." Sam confirmed quietly, turning to her with a weary sigh.

Ellen nodded and met his tired, tear-filled eyes. She gave his arm a gentle squeeze and her smile grew. "There's a lot of us too, Sam."

"I guess."

"Come on." Ellen sat back up straight and took a deep breath. "God knows, the four of us could use a decent meal and a couple of beers." She watched him nod in agreement and the car rumbled into life beneath them. Seeing him slip the car into gear and then suddenly pause once again, her heart sank and she shook her head slowly. "Don't, Sam."

Sam turned warily to face her and frowned slightly.

"There's no point second guessing. What's done is done." Her throat was tight but she managed to keep her voice even and gave him a warm smile. "We have to move forward now."

"Yeah …" Sam took a deep breath and looked away from her as he cleared his throat. "I know." Shrugging his heavy shoulders and sighing in determination, he gunned the car forward and headed out for the highway.

XXXXX

It was quite possibly one of the strangest trolley-loads she had ever collected. Ellen guided the shopping cart towards the line of cash registers and smiled in amusement. Parking the cart at the end of the belt, she began unloading the supplies and watched the sales assistant in interest, sure that the boy would remark on her odd collection.

"Someone sure likes their candy." The shop assistant shrugged, scanning through yet another super-sized bag of M&Ms.

Ellen nodded and laughed in wonder as she tucked yet another packet of salt into a paper bag. She began to transfer full bags back into the shopping cart, amused that the boy should make comments about what was perhaps one of the most normal items she had bought.

Turning back to continue packing, she saw Sam hurrying towards her and frowned in interest as she saw his arms full of packages. Dumping his collection at the end of the belt, he jogged over to help her and saw the intrigue in her merry smile.

"What?" Sam shrugged, "This place has _everything_!" He enthused, "We normally scrape by with mini-marts and 7-11s." He waved his hand about to indicate the massive supermarket and shook his head in wonder. "This is so _cool_!"

Ellen laughed and peered along the belt towards the underwear, toiletries and first-aid supplies he had added.

"Just don't tell, Dean."

Laughing a little harder, Ellen glanced up at him fondly. "Sure."

"What?" Sam defended merrily, "We got all _his_ essentials."

"I know." Ellen agreed quickly, "It's okay, Sam."

Sam watched her chuckling happily and his smile grew. "Well … just cos we live on the road doesn't mean we have to _smell_ like we do."

At that, Ellen laughed harder and slipped an arm around his waist to give him a brief hug. "I'm certain this fussy streak has to come from your mom." She offered quietly.

Sam's smile grew and he shrugged slightly. "Yeah, I guess."

Ellen swallowed back the sudden lump in her throat and turned back to packing. Dropping the last few items into a bag and thanking Sam as he hefted the full bag into the cart, she counted out the correct cash and then followed him from the store.

It was the strangest feeling, after the utter chaos and heartbreak of the past few days, to now be strolling through the parking lot of the supermarket with Sam at her side. They blended in with all the other families stocking up for the week and to be given friendly smiles of understanding and nods of greeting from the other civilians was oddly refreshing.

Making their way to the clearing at the edge of the car park where the black Chevy was parked alone, Ellen suddenly remembered that a supply run such as this was exactly what she had been doing the day the roadhouse was torched.

"Ellen?"

Suddenly realizing that she had paused at the rear of the car and was lost in thought, Ellen shook her head and forced her smile to return. Looking down at the false-bottom of the Impala's trunk, she helped Sam load the shopping and blinked away tears.

"You okay?"

"Tired." She replied easily.

"Mmm." Sam agreed quietly, "I think it's a good idea of yours. Food, beer, bed." He sighed and grabbed the empty cart to take it across to where a line of others were parked.

"Yeah." Ellen nodded, closing the trunk lid. "Then we'll be fully refreshed to get out there and dust off a few more of those sons-of-bitches." Laughing, she was aware of him returning and turned towards him.

But it wasn't Sam. That much she had time to ascertain before the fist slammed into her temple and she was flung back, slumping over the tail end of the Impala. Her head full of pain and her vision blurring, she slid down to the ground and was vaguely aware of hearing Sam crying out in fury before the blackness took her.

XXXXX

Sound was the first sense to return and she listened to the panicked voices around her. Not recognizing any of them and then recalling with horror the last memory from before she blacked out, Ellen tried to sit up.

"Easy."

Ellen felt the hand that gently pushed her back against the asphalt and then felt something ice-cold being pressed against her face.

"You okay, ma'am?"

Blinking her eyes open, Ellen looked up into the worried face of the woman who was crouched beside her. Her focus then moved to the dark uniform and shiny gold badge on the woman's chest. Gasping, Ellen forced herself upright and her head swam as she sat back against the fender of the Impala.

"Easy!" The woman again urged in concern, helping steady Ellen. "You took quite a knock there. Can you tell me your name?"

Frowning in confusion, Ellen then saw the woman reach a gloved hand into a pocket on her shoulder and pull out a pen-light. She saw the emblem on the woman's uniform sleeve and sighed in relief.

The EMT shone the light into Ellen's eyes and smiled in relief. She nodded and held out the ice pack towards her. "No lasting damage."

Ellen placed the ice against her throbbing temple and managed a brief smile.

"The police are on their way, ma'am." The EMT offered, turning away to make a few notes on her large record pad. "You remember what happened?"

Ellen looked beyond the EMT to see the open doors of the parked ambulance and the small crowd of shoppers who looked on in concern and muttered to one another. And then sudden realization slammed into her. "Sam!"

"Hey!" The EMT hurriedly stood and steadied her patient as she suddenly got to her feet and leaned heavily on the trunk lid behind her.

"Sam!" Ellen shouted in a panic, her head spinning dizzily and nausea building as her eyes darted around the parking lot. "Where is he?" She spun to the other shoppers and searched their alarmed faces. "Did you see? Did you see who took him?"

Shaking heads and confused shrugs were all that greeted her and Ellen groaned in dismay, tears blurring her vision.

"Easy, ma'am."

"No!" Ellen shrugged off the paramedic roughly and stepped away from her steadying hands. "Oh god! Oh god!" She fumbled in her pocket and found her phone, her fingers trembling as she scrolled through the phonebook.

"_Hey, Ellen_." Came the quick reply.

"Dean!" Ellen sighed, her voice tight. She closed her eyes and hung her head, unable to find the words to tell him what had happened.

"_What's taking you guys so long_?" Dean chided merrily, "_You brewing the beer, or something_?"

"Dean." Ellen insisted, a little firmer.

"_What? Me and Bob are starving out here. And - _"

"DEAN!"

The line went suddenly quiet. Ellen cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "It's Sam. Dean, someone's taken him!"

* * *

Cold.

It was the first sensation that began to return. And the first thought that came to his mind. Aware of his body trembling, he tried to curl himself up tighter and his heart slammed into his chest, _I can't move_.

Adrenaline surged through him and flowed down arms numb from being in the same restrained position for god-knows how long. Sparks of sensation stung his fingertips and he groaned softly, the sound appearing strange in the emptiness around him. Straining against whatever was holding him still and feeling recent bruises begin to throb, he sobbed in fright and paused to catch his breath.

_What the hell is that smell?_ Strangely familiar, it stung his throat and made him gag in revulsion. He needed to get away from it. After a moment, he lifted his head a little and pain shot through his head and down his neck. He groaned as nausea instantly filled his entire being and his stomach heaved dryly. And then, wincing in disgust, he knew what the smell was.

Letting his head sink back down, he took a moment to let the dizziness settle and then tried opening his eyes. Even this small movement was impossible and he frowned in confusion, feeling the tightness across his eyes and forehead. _Blindfold. That's reassuring._

Forcing a few steady breaths and taking in whatever detail he could fathom, he soon worked out that he was lying on his right side. His wrists were bound behind him and his ankles also tied tightly together. Tilting his face downwards, he felt cold concrete against his chin and then leaned back a little, his left shoulder meeting the wall behind him. Pausing for a second, he listened to the quietness and could make out nothing beyond his own rapid, frightened breaths.

_Shopping. I was shopping with Ellen_. Recalling getting back to the car and remembering broken pieces of the conversation they had been having, he then had a sudden flash of a black van and the two figures that had leapt at him.

Tears gathered and stung the back of his eyelids. Choking on a sob, he heard the odd sound disperse in the nothing around him and it was then quickly followed by another.

_You let your guard down. After everything that has happened, how could you be so stupid! Too tired and too relaxed in her company, distracted by the menial task of re-supplying. You should have stayed alert!_ The voice in his mind chided him bitterly, angry and disappointed. Strange that it sounded so much like his father. Sudden grief at the notion brought further tears and he could not stop the desperate weeping that overcame him.

Noise.

Gasping in fright and suddenly quiet, he held his breath and listened intently. It came again; the clicking and scratching of someone fumbling with a lock. Then the clunk and faint whine of old hinges as a door opened.

Laying completely still and not daring to breathe, he felt the gentle rush of warm air from somewhere above him and then heard the first creak of a foot stepping on a wooden stair. _Basement? I'm in a basement?_

A few more uncertain steps filled the quietness and then the soft thud of a door closing. The footfalls then quickened and he could sense whoever was approaching hurrying towards him. They crouched down beside him and paused for a moment. He could smell a hint of feminine perfume and heard a slight sigh from somewhere over him.

Something heavy was placed beside him, a dull metallic twang ringing out as it met the concrete floor. Determined to lay still and appear unconscious, he could not help but flinch as the stranger moved closer and gentle hands rolled him backwards. At his reaction, the hands instantly left him and there was a pause.

Sloshing of water pouring near his face then made him realize how thirsty he was. Keeping his lips closed, he dragged his dry tongue against the roof of his mouth and was now aware of acidic taste of old bile. Nausea began to build once more and he instinctively swallowed it back.

Hearing something being wrung out in the water, he then felt the air in front of his face move as something was passed over him. He gasped in fright as the wet, lukewarm cloth met his skin.

"It's okay." Came a quiet reassurance.

Frozen still, again not daring to even breathe, he replayed the whisper over in his mind and did not recognize the voice.

"It's okay, Sam." She offered a little louder, "I'm not here to hurt you."

_She knows who I am?_ In the face of all that had occurred in the past week and beyond, this could not be a good thing. Fresh panic brewed within and he bit his lip to keep back the frightened sobs that gathered. _Pathetic! You need to stay sharp! Think of a way to get out of here! Stop crying like a damned baby!_

The damp cloth returned and was gently pressed into the skin at his left temple, water trickling down the side of his face. And then something pulled at his skin, stinging painfully. He flinched back, instantly regretting the action as the pain inside his head grew.

"Lay still."

It was a plea more than an order and he was suddenly intrigued. Relaxing slightly, he felt her fingers carefully picking at something stuck to the skin at his temple and he suddenly realized what it was. Lying still, he grimaced as she managed to loosen the edge of the tape and gently soaked the cloth against the next portion.

It took a few minutes for her to carefully peel off the thick, sticky tape. She then gently washed the raw skin and seemed to sigh in dismay at the damage the binding had done to his face. Unnerved by her tenderness and somewhat relieved that she had not simply ripped the tape from his eyes, he then felt her move back from him.

It was bright wherever he was. The light stung his eyes as he blinked them open and more pain throbbed in his head. Slowly acclimatizing to the sensation and turning his head, her face came into focus and he saw her smile a cautious greeting.

She was young, maybe fifteen or sixteen judging from the band slogan that was splashed across her black cropped t-shirt. Sure he should not know such a thing but quickly deciding he was not to blame for whatever useless information the internet filled his mind with, he watched her sit back on her heels to regard him in interest. She tucked a stray lock of chemically darkened shoulder-length hair behind her ear and then he saw the redness of her hazel eyes. Intrigued by the fear and sorrow he found there, he then sensed something very familiar about her attractive, almond-shaped eyes. 

"Amber."

Sam continued to watch her in wary silence.

"My name." She felt urged to explain.

Sam nodded carefully, his head throbbing with the movement and he managed a small smile, his dry lips cracking painfully.

"Here." Amber picked up the bottle of water she had used to clean his face and unscrewed the top. She placed the bottle against his lips and tipped it slightly.

The water was cool and refreshing. Sam swallowed with a grateful moan and then felt the liquid meet his stomach. Sure it was going to make a rapid return, he grimaced and turned his head towards the floor.

"Ew." Amber groaned. "Sorry."

Taking a few deep breaths and feeling the nausea settle, Sam shook his head slightly and managed another smile.

Amber replaced the cap on the bottle and shrugged slightly. "Hmm. That's kinda gross." She commented idly and got to her feet.

Sam watched her cross the wide room and now took in his surroundings. Definitely a basement, the place was filled with shelving, old furniture and various boxes. It looked like the sort of stuff that any average family would store beneath their house and it felt wrong to be in such a predicament in such seemingly normal surroundings.

Amber returned to kneel down in front of him and squirted a few bursts of detergent onto the drying puddle of vomit beside him. Wiping at the mess and grimacing in revulsion, she threw the soiled cloth into the steel mixing bowl and quickly wiped her hands on her faded jeans.

It was a decidedly weird situation. Sam smiled his thanks up at the young girl and again studied her pale face. Sure he knew her from somewhere, he was about to ask her who she was when a bang above them made her jump in fright.

"Shit!" Clambering to her feet, Amber tossed the bottle of cleaning fluid aside and gathered up the water bottle and bowl. "Shit! Shit!" She repeated urgently, hurrying to the stairs.

Sam heard shouting from somewhere in the main house and frowned in concern as Amber scrambled up the stairs. He listened for a moment but could only hear muffled pieces of the heated conversation that sprung up beyond the closed door. Frowning in concern, he could then hear the voices moving away and rested his head back against the floor.

At least the smell was gone. The intense, fake-lemon scent of the detergent did nothing for his headache but it masked the decidedly unpleasant aroma of his own sick. Closing his eyes, his mind raced with a thousand questions but, much to his disappointment, no clue as yet as to how to try and escape. The door to the basement then opened and he listened for the footfalls, hoping his potential ally was returning.

"I said get to your room! Now!"

Sam gasped and opened his eyes, seeing the shadow of a man flooding down the staircase. Aware of sobbing somewhere above him, his heart sank and he guessed Amber was in trouble for having ventured down to him. Afraid for her safety, it nonetheless gave him hope that she might present a way out of this.

The door slammed shut and Sam watched black leather mules descend the stairs. Then the man himself appeared. Medium build, dark short hair, unshaven and in need of sleep. The details etched themselves into Sam's memory. Smart grey suit trousers, light blue shirt, loosely hanging purple tie. He looked like a business-man who had stepped off a month-long flight, Sam decided, weary and crumpled. Not in the least bit menacing. Frowning in confusion, he watched the man approach him slowly.

"Awake, huh?" The man stopped beside Sam and stared down at him. "Good."

Sam turned his head slightly, his head and neck protesting at the angle he needed to look up at the man. His heart began to race as he saw the anger that crossed the man's flushed face and an unexplained hatred that suddenly filled his eyes.

"Tell me." The man began in a quiet, icy whisper. "Why did you do it?"

Sam had no reply, a hundred possibilities running through his mind as he tried to fathom who this family was and where he had seen Amber before.

"WHY?"

The shout filled the room and pierced Sam's already painful head. He flinched back and closed his eyes.

"What sort of a monster are you …?" The man continued, his voice softening as he crouched down in front of Sam and regarded him in curious disgust, as if he was examining the foulest creature to have crawled up from the ground.

Sam slowly shook his head and frowned slightly, trying to convey his confusion.

"I know what you did to her. They showed me the photographs."

His heart pounding in his ears, Sam watched the man nodding slowly and something about the hint of a smile that pulled at the stranger's mouth made Sam's stomach flip over.

"But all the evidence in the world can never explain _why_ …" The man leaned a little closer and sighed wearily, "Or be enough to convict you, it seems."

Sam's frown deepened and he instinctively began to move back against the wall, uncomfortable with the closeness of a man so obviously tortured by whatever it was he had been through.

"Not a trace of DNA." The man placed one hand on the concrete floor to steady himself as he leaned even closer to Sam and suddenly smiled. "But it _was_ you."

"Wh - ?" Sam cleared his throat and tried to find his voice. "What was?"

"Right." The man laughed gently and shook his head.

Sam followed him as the man stood back up and dragged his hands through his hair. His fingers were trembling and the cotton shirt under his arms wet with sweat. Feeling suddenly sorry for the state the poor guy was in, Sam found himself wanting to help him.

"LIAR!"

The toe of one of the expensive shoes slammed into Sam's abdomen, forcing the air from his lungs in a loud burst. Unable to breathe in and seeing bright white flecks dancing behind his tightly closed eyes, Sam curled around the pain.

"Why did you do it? Huh?"

Blinking his eyes open and biting his lip against the agony in his gut, Sam finally sucked in a breath and groaned weakly. Watching the man warily and seeing him take a few steps back from him, he watched the fury reddening the guy's tortured face.

Gripping fistfuls of his hair and pacing back and forth, the man then once again smiled thinly. "No matter. No matter." He sighed out a loud breath and dropped his hands by his side. "Maybe the police can't arrest you." He shrugged slightly, "But _I_ have you now."

Sam huddled as far back into the wall as he could manage as he was suddenly advanced on again. He held his breath and watched in dread as the man halted inches away from him.

"And I will make you pay for what you did."

The threat hung in the still air of the basement as the man turned away and galloped up the stairs. He flicked off the lights and hurried into the main house.

Hearing the door slammed shut, Sam was suddenly plunged into darkness. He listened to the click of the lock and could make out footsteps retreating. Tears stung his eyes and he gave a short sob, the action pulling at bruised muscles in his abdomen.

Sudden determination gripped him and, ignoring the pounding in his head and the pain in his gut, he struggled up onto one elbow. _Come on, genius. You saw the stuff piled up down here. Find a way out, dammit!_

Exhausted by even this small movement, Sam took a moment to catch his breath before then slowly pulling up his knees. _Shit, that hurts._ Groaning with effort and pain, he somehow got his feet round in front of him and panted in exertion. His eyes were starting to pick out the slightest detail that he could make out around him and he peered down at the binding above his boots.

_Gaffer tape, huh? Right. Need something to cut it with. _Edging forward, he bum-shuffled away from the wall and towards the shelves he remembered seeing close by. And then he was suddenly yanked back. The motion pulled at his already strained shoulders and he halted, his arms held up behind him by something.

Tugging carefully, Sam groaned in dismay as he felt the rope that was tied to the tape that bound his wrists. Straining against the tether, he grunted in anger and pain. _It's just tape! Pull, you big baby! PULL!_

Burning pain tore down his arms and across his chest as he pulled hard. Sure that either the tape would give or he would tear his arms from their sockets, he used the tether for support and got to his feet. Leaning forward and using his weight against the binding, he felt sticky tape tearing and pulling at the skin of his wrists.

Suddenly something gave. Sam shot forward and toppled over, his bound legs collapsing under him and he realized in horror that his wrists were still taped together.

He could not stop the forward momentum. Trying to recall what might have been in front of him and falling worryingly fast, the gruff voice in Sam's head again began to chide him in disappointment. Then his nose slammed into the side of the bottom step with a sickening crunch and nothingness engulfed him.

_Tbc ..._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Okay, the story is going to stick with Sam from here on in. We can all well imagine panicking upset Dean (yum!) and I wanted to focus more on what this experience does to Sam. Especially after the YED said (to Dean): "Are you sure what you brought back is 100 percent pure Sammy?"

Thanks for the encouraging reviews. You guys rock ;-)

* * *

The house was quiet except for the monotonous drone of the late night talk show. Light from the television danced around the large lounge and silhouetted what she could see of his still form.Edging further into the room, she noted what remained of the bottle of whiskey sitting next to the corner of the sofa. Venturing closer revealed the steady hum of his snoring and she watched him for a moment. Confusing emotions tightened her face and brought tears to her eyes as she saw him sleeping. Shaking her head and retreating back into the hallway, she tiptoed across to the basement door. It was dark inside and she considered whether to switch on the light. Knowing he would see the light under the door, she grabbed a torch from the cupboard beside the front door and crept down into the basement.

"Shit!" She gasped in fright and paused inside the door. The trembling circle of torchlight danced across his sprawled body and then ran back to the dark puddle on the floor beside his head.

"Oh crap, no!" Amber whispered in a panic, hurrying carefully down the stairs and kneeling beside the still body at the bottom. "Oh no no no no no!"

He was face down on the basement floor and not moving. She shone the torch onto the side of what she could see of his pale face and saw that the pool of blood trailed under him. "Oh god, no. Sam? Oh, please! Has he killed you?" Reaching out warily, Amber grabbed the shoulder nearest her and shook him firmly. "Sam?" She called out, as loud as she dared. "Sam? Please don't be dead!" Amber wiped away tears and sat down on the bottom step beside him, her head hung low.

"Ow …"

"Sam?" Amber flicked her head up with a gasp and watched as Sam slowly lifted his chin. She slid off the stair and knelt beside him, timidly placing her hand on his shoulder. "Sam?"

"Mmm."

Amber watched him turn his face towards her and he winced in the bright torchlight. Apologizing hurriedly, she moved the beam away slightly and then saw the deep gash across the bridge of his nose. It seemed to have stopped bleeding but the skin was dark and swollen under his eyes. Her shoulders sinking, she groaned in dismay.

"Genius plan."

"What?" Amber frowned. She then took in the rope curled loosely across the back of his legs and her frown grew. Shining the torch at the free end and seeing the bends from the knot that had once been tied there, she then flicked the light over to the piping. She looked back down at Sam and watched him slowly rolling onto his side. Guessing his attempt to escape and imagining his stumble, she sighed in relief. "I thought you were dead." 

"And?"

Amber flinched at the angry sarcasm in his tone and fresh tears welled in her eyes. "My dad is not a bad person." She stated evenly, glaring down at him. She watched him look up at her and thought she saw a slight nod of understanding.

"Why is he doing this, Amber?"

Watching him trying to sit up and grimacing in pain, Amber did find herself feeling sorry for him. But this was exactly what her father had warned her against. Okay, so he did not look anything like the monster her father described -- in fact he was kind of fit, in a prep-school kind of way -- but he could still be just as dangerous.

Curiosity had brought her down here after her father's friends had dumped him in the basement and left. And intrigue had made her want to remove the tape that covered his face, needing to see for herself the cause of her family's suffering. She had heard the shouting from beneath the house after her father had discovered her and the silence that had followed. And then her father had sought out comfort with the bottle he had been saving. Seeing him at peace in his slumber for the first time in months had made her think the worst, sure that ending his torment meant only one thing. 

"Amber?"

Torn from her thoughts, Amber flicked the torchlight back at Sam and saw him sitting awkwardly against the bottom of the bannister. He flinched away from the light again but this time she left the beam on his face, studying him. Underneath the blood and bruising, his face was nicely shaped and she gazed for a moment into the sorrowful blue eyes that looked back at her. "I can see why she would have trusted you." She commented quietly, watching him frown in confusion. "You're just her type." 

"Who?"

Amber smiled suddenly and moved back from him. Climbing up a few steps above him, she nodded and wiped away further tears. "You look like Spence. Her boyfriend in college."

Sam shook his head slowly and gave a shrug of his shoulders.

"Did you meet her in university?" Amber cleared her throat and sniffed loudly. "Or just _grab_ her from somewhere?" She saw him recoil at the sudden change in her tone and it fascinated her.

"Please, Amber. What is it that you think I have done?"

Amber laughed nervously, watching the helpless way he sagged against the side of the stairs and hearing his voice crack with emotion. Suddenly afraid of the sympathy she felt for him, she stood and made her way back up to the main house.

"Please!"

Ignoring the desperation in his gentle cry, Amber quickened her pace and scrambled through the door. She hurried into the hall and sank against the door as it closed behind her. Closing her eyes and aware of her rapid breaths echoing through the hall, she wiped her face and tried to calm.

"What are you doing?"

Amber gasped in fright and spun to see her father standing at the end of the hall. She groaned in dismay and stepped away from the door.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away?"

"Yeah, but - "

"But _nothing_!"

Flinching and edging back from him, Amber shrugged slightly.

"Oh, honey." Her father strode down the hall towards her and held out his arms. Quickly embracing her and hugging her tight against him, he sighed gently into her hair. "I knew I should have sent you to your cousins'."

Amber hugged him back and pressed her face into his chest. "I'm sorry, Dad."

"God, Amber … I can't lose you, too." He leaned back and looked down at her tearstained face. "Please … stay away from him."

"Okay." Amber nodded slowly and peered into his sorrowful, tired eyes. "But … what … what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, honey." He answered honestly, pulling her back against him. "I just don't know."

* * *

His head hurt more than ever. Leaning back against the stairs and closing his eyes, he could taste blood in his throat and could not quite breathe through his nose. _Great_. _Probably broken._ Resting for a moment, Sam then heard voices from beyond the door at the top of the stairs. Able to make out the odd word not spoken too quietly, he could sense the emotion between father and daughter and it only added to his confusion. Sure that something utterly horrible had happened to this family but oblivious as to how it might involve him, Sam considered how he might try and get them to talk. And that was only if he could not somehow escape.

Struggling up onto his knees, his head pounding, he somehow shuffled across the floor and met the front of a metal shelving unit. Resting against the tall side bars, he took a second to catch his breath and then turned himself around. The lowest shelf seemed empty as he lifted his arms up behind him and clumsily searched with his bound hands. Getting up onto his knees and fumbling in the dark, he found a large plastic box on the second shelf and closed his eyes as he dragged it to the edge. It was heavy and that was promising.

Hooking the handle and somehow lifting the box down took a massive effort. With the box on the floor beside him, he sank back down onto his heels and hung his throbbing head, sweat trickling down the sides of his face_. Tools_. Sam's fingers searched the top layer of the open box, his heart racing. With a sigh of dismay, he lifted the plastic drawer of wrenches from the box and struggled to place it quietly on the floor. The corner of the tray caught his boot and toppled. 

The sound of the metal wrenches scattering on the concrete seemed impossibly loud. Sam paused, holding his breath, listening for any sign from the house above that he had been heard. After what seemed long enough, he started moving again and leaned backwards, searching the main compartment of the box. His heart leapt as he found something fairly sharp and explored it with his fingers. A flat-head screwdriver. _That will do_.

Nestling down on the floor and sitting back on his heels again, Sam angled the screwdriver in his hand and flexed his wrist as much as the tape allowed. Scoring at the edge of the tape with the corner of the screwdriver blade, he could feel the slight tearing and sighed in relief. Hope stirred deep inside him. Suddenly he was imagining Dean arriving at the house, punching and kicking his way through to rescue his brother. Sure that there would be some way of locating him, memories of his brother never having failed before forcing a smile to his weary face, Sam struggled on. 

There had to be a way. Follow the trail from the car park, chant some voodoo shit or other. Dean would find a way. _In the meantime, keep fighting your way out. You don't want to be found down here on your ass, praying for a rescue._

The tape parted enough for him to know that he was making headway. Still gripping the screwdriver just in case, he strained his wrists and heard the start of a ripping noise. Smiling in delight, he felt the tape tear open and he sagged back on his heels with a groan. How long he had been tied up he was unsure but his arms ached, his shoulders screaming in protest as he moved his hands round in front of him. His arms trembled as he rolled his shoulders and flexed out sore muscles but there was no time to pause for breath. Swinging his feet around before him, his hands shaking, he worked on the tape binding his ankles and in a few moments was free. 

Standing upright was tough at first. Doubling over and heaving dryly, he clutched at his swimming head and groaned hoarsely. _Concussion. Great. Have to thank him for that later._ Now that sounded like his brother. Grinning merrily, Sam rolled his body back upright and began to search the basement. They had blocked the windows. Unpinning the wooden slats would take time and he just needed to get out of the place. Fast. Turning in the darkness towards the stairs and realizing it was his only option, Sam reached out for the bannisters.

Climbing slowly, his ears straining to pick up any sound beyond the door, Sam made his way up the stairs. Reaching into his back pocket for the scraps he had found at the bottom of the toolbox, he frowned at the small keyhole beneath the handle. _Always was the better lock-picker. _Sam could imagine teasing his brother and being given the usual quirked eyebrow 'smart-ass' reply before Dean would then quickly point out one of his own, unique strengths (usually involving women). _God, where are you, Dean?_

The house was quiet. His heart in his throat, Sam stepped out into the dimly lit hallway and carefully closed the door behind him. Glancing both ways along the length of the hall, he moved away from the basement and headed for the front door. Movement in the corner of his eye made him stop. Turning, he saw his own shadowy reflection in the mirror on the wall and sighed in relief. _Jeez, you look like hell. _He smiled thinly as he turned away. And then he saw her. 

His head spinning, he stepped closer to the framed photographs lined up beside the mirror. The light from the lamp on the corner table was just enough to see her. In a family portrait, at her high school graduation, in someone's yard party. Smiling, laughing, young and alive. Sure, her hair was different and her face softer somehow but it was her. Backing away from the photographs, his heart thudding against his chest, Sam shook his head slowly. _Meg …?_

He had paused too long and sensed the movement behind him too late. Spinning, he blocked the blow but his tired arms were not moving quick enough to deflect the second. Collapsing back against the wall, his head cracking the glass of the framed photographs, he had enough time to realize that this was not Amber's father. This guy was taller, more solid. And while Sam pondered the gravity of his mistake, he was dragged back to the basement door and flung down the stairs.

Finally finishing his tumble down into the basement, Sam ended up in a sprawled heap face down on the concrete floor. Despite glancing another blow to his head on one of the many stairs he had hit, Sam had managed to remain conscious this time but soon found himself wishing he was not.

"Dom? Dom, what the fu - ?"

"Houdini here managed to get out."

Sam moved his left arm and pressed himself up from the floor slightly, hissing as pain tore through his body. Unsure if there was actually any part of him that did not hurt, he decided to stay where he was for just a moment.

"Well, I'm hardly the expert here, Dom."

Footsteps on the stairs and Sam glanced up as the lights flickered on to see the two men heading down towards him. Quickly rolling onto his side, he yelped in pain and dragged his right arm out from under him. His wrist was swollen and red, an ominous lump a short way up his arm suggesting more than just a sprain. Clutching his arm to his chest and curling around the pain, he was only vaguely aware of the man that reached the bottom of the stairs first.

The kick sent him flying backwards. Landing in an awkward sprawl on his back, he had not even time to catch his breath before a booted foot was pressed down onto his chest. With his good hand he tried to lift the foot off and cried out as the pressure only grew.

"What do think, James? Shall I squash this bug?"

Sam's focus was blurred but he saw the heavier man smiling down at him. The man then turned and shrugged towards his companion. Sam followed his gaze and saw Amber's father waiting on the bottom step, looking on in disinterest.

"Or shall we pull it's wings off first?"

Sam looked back up at his attacker and saw the smile grow. This guy was younger and fairer than the other, his dark jeans and black sweater giving him the cliched image of a hired thug. _Not a good look, dude. _The Dean-like voice calmed Sam a little and he stared evenly up at the man.

The pressure on his chest was released as the man stepped back and Sam gasped in relief, coughing dryly. And then the same booted foot slammed into his side. Lifting him from the floor, the blow sent him tumbling over onto his side and he clutched at the pain in his ribs. He could not breathe. Each slight movement of his ribcage sent sharp, stabbing pain through his chest. Gasping and wheezing, he rolled away and buried his face into the cold brick of the outer wall. 

"We've been looking for you for a long time."

Sam cried out in protest as his shoulder was grabbed and he was roughly pulled onto his back. His vision blurred and his head swimming, he slapped out wildly with his left arm and his stomach turned as he heard the amused laugh this generated. And then his damaged wrist was grabbed and squeezed. Yelling and sobbing, Sam begged for the pain to end. Tossing all pride aside, tears pouring down his face, Sam grabbed at the strong fingers that gripped his wrist and tried to prize his arm free.

"Dom, stop!"

The grip eased and Sam collapsed back against the floor, his chest heaving.

"This is what you wanted, isn't it?"

"I know but … just … stop for a second."

Sam was released and quickly cradled his injured right arm, choking on his sobs as he curled back away from them and rolled onto his side.

"What? You suddenly having second thoughts?"

"No, Dom. I just - "

"Just what, James? After all this time? After everything?"

"I'm not like you - okay? I just need some time. Please. Go upstairs. Give me a second."

Sam was vaguely aware of a frustrated grumble before hearing footsteps ascending the stairs and he slowly managed to calm. Still cradling his throbbing wrist, he chanced looking back over his shoulder and watched Amber's father -- _James, right? --_ slowly sitting down on the bottom stair, clutching a beige-brown folder.

Carefully pushing himself upright, still struggling to take an even breath, Sam turned slowly. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. Tensing against pain in his chest and arm, he groaned softly and clenched his teeth.

"Do you know what they told us …?"

Opening his eyes, Sam turned and watched James looking down at the folder he held in his hands.

"When she first went missing." James lifted his head and looked over at Sam. "They said they would only worry when she was gone for over a week." He gave a small laugh and shook his head. "We worried after the first _hour_!" Getting to his feet, James crossed the room and stood at Sam's feet to glare angrily down at him. "She was our daughter! When she didn't call in at the usual time, the world dropped from under us!"

Sam watched nervously, edging further against the wall and at a complete loss. There was nothing he could say. Nothing he could do. Seeing the torment that filled James' face, his heart sank and he shook his head slowly.

James looked back down at the folder in his hands and smiled thinly. Crouching down, he opened the file and flopped it onto the floor. His smile faltered as he sorted through the papers and photographs, selecting a few. "My daughter was missing for over a year." He lifted up one of the images and studied it for a moment. "And, apparently, she was with _you_."

Sam watched as the photograph was turned to face him. It was a grainy, faded image from a security camera. He frowned slightly and then could make out the two of them sat together at a table. Tears suddenly stung his eyes as he remembered the night he had spent in the bus station and had been so determined to leave with her.

"Where were you going?" James asked quietly.

Sam swallowed back the blood and bile in his throat and met James' unwavering gaze. "California." He managed hoarsely.

James nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "That's what her ticket said." He looked down at the file and cleared his throat. "So why didn't you go?"

His heart racing, Sam thought back over that evening. The pretty young blonde who so intrigued him and seemed to understand him. The call his brother made to say goodbye. The unanswered calls Sam had made to Dean the following morning. His decision to go back to his brother and the good fortune of that choice. _Because I had to rescue my big brother from a Nordic god in the form of a hook-wielding scarecrow. _For a moment, he actually wondered if answering with the truth would be of help here or not.

James sighed and reached down for another photograph. "And Chicago?"

Sam frowned, watching the image being held up before him and groaning as he looked at another hidden camera screenshot. This time they were sat talking in a crowded bar.

"Why did you take her to Chicago?"

"I …" Sam shook his head slowly. "We met by chance."

James' scowl grew and he dropped the photo. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not." Sam urged, his cracked ribs stabbing at his chest and making him wince in pain.

"Fine." James got to his feet and sighed loudly. "I guess I'll let Dom get rid of some more pent up stress on you."

"No!" Sam gasped and gritted his teeth against a fresh wave of pain. "Please. Please."

James turned slowly and raised his eyebrows in interest.

"I met - " Sam paused, unable to say the name that had brought him and his family so much pain. "I met your daughter when I was hitching." He closed his eyes at the memory and shook his head. "She was running away from home and we ended up at the same bus - "

"Wait. Wait." James strode back closer to Sam. "She was _what_?"

Sam saw renewed sorrow in James' eyes and groaned in dismay. "Look, it's what she told me, Mr Masters … I swear!"

"My Megan was at the top of her class. An A-grade student with a free ride to Harvard." James insisted calmly. "She was happy and stable."

Sam made no reply and could feel his throat tightening. Chicago. The confirmation that his meeting Meg had been anything but happenstance; she was nothing close to the attractive potential friend he had first taken her to be. And her betrayal still stung_. Dad … _The memory was still so raw. Stepping into the motel room and seeing their father standing there by the window. After searching for so very long. And then having to go their separate ways in order to be safe. To be safe from the evil bitch that had stolen the life of an innocent girl. It had never occurred to him that somewhere out there was a family mourning her loss. 

"Jefferson City?"

Pulled from his thoughts, Sam looked up at the next photograph and his stomach turned. Seeing separate shots, one of Meg alone in the foyer and one of him setting off the fire alarm, Sam remembered the Sunrise apartments where his father had been held hostage.

"They found her the next day ..." James stated quietly. "Anonymous 9-1-1 call."

Lost in his own grief, Sam's head was filled with images of his father strapped down to the bed, his father torturing Dean, his father begging him to shoot him.

"Look at her!"

Flicking his head up, Sam met the mortuary shots of a waxy grey, blue-lipped Meg. He choked on a sob and suddenly felt tears welling, recalling the horrific exorcism and the agony she had suffered before she died. At the time he had grabbed onto the peace that had come over her and how she had thanked them for freeing her. Now all he could see was the battered girl who had lay spluttering, dying on the floor of Bobby's house.

"You did this." James insisted quietly. "Didn't you."

Sam shook his head firmly, ignoring the pain it caused, and could feel his lips trembling as the first tears fell. "No."

James considered this for a moment and then nodded slightly. "That's what the evidence says, too." He wiped a hand across his face and sighed wearily. "You know … they closed the case over a year ago." Peering down at the file, he sniffed and licked his dry lips. "But I just knew … knew you did this … and I've been trying to find you ever since."

Sam frowned in intrigue, suddenly wondering how James had managed a task that even the most determined FBI agent seemed unable to achieve.

"She had 24 broken bones."

Closing his eyes, Sam saw a quick replay of the Daevas dragging Meg from the warehouse and tossing her through the window.

"Internal bleeding." James continued in all but a whisper. He looked up at Sam and renewed anger filled his face. "It says here that she was tied up, beaten, tortured..."

A chill ran through Sam as he saw the smile that suddenly danced on James' lips.

"Familiar?"

Sam held his breath and watched James regarding him evenly, his dread growing.

"See." James stood back up straight and took a deep breath. "All this time … all I've thought about is finding you … and making you suffer just as you made her suffer."

Sam drew in a breath and hugged at his injured arm. "It wasn't me."

"So you say."

"Please!" Sam urged, terror cracking his voice. "You have to believe me."

"Right …" James scoffed dryly and turned away. Stepping up onto the first stair, he paused and glanced back. "I almost gave up ... I mean, my obsession with finding you was costing me so much. My wife left me. I ran out of cash to pay for people to look for you …"

Sam looked on in dread, very able to understand the tortured soul Meg's father had become. He was not dissimilar to Sam's own father, consumed with revenge and driven almost beyond sanity with hatred and grief.

"But, that's of no matter now ..." He shrugged and gave a loud sigh. "One of my contacts suddenly called me last week and tells me he's had found you. And it seems you're on the FBI's most wanted list, no less."

Sam closed his eyes and hung his head in dismay.

"It was then that I knew for sure that I was right." James continued quietly, "And I just had to get to you before they did."

Crying hurt his chest but there was nothing he could do to stop it. Letting his head sink lower, Sam heard James ascending the stairs and was aware of the lights being switched off before the door slammed shut and he was alone with the sound of his weeping.

_Tbc ..._


	3. Chapter 3

She was determined, he had to give her that. Remembering how he had been just as bloody-minded and stubborn at her age, Sam watched Amber hurry quietly down the stairs. She looked tired and afraid but somehow, he sensed, not afraid of him.

"Yuck."

Sam followed her grimace and looked down at the darkening bruising around his swollen wrist.

"That's gotta hurt."

Sam could not help but laugh slightly and he gave a slight nod, biting back against the pain that seemed to fill every part of his weary body. Seeing her perch on the bottom step and regard him in curiosity, he took a deep breath. "Thought you were told to stay away."

"I guess." Amber shrugged. Looking down at her hands, she fiddled idly with the collection of bangles around her wrist. "Did you do it?"

"No." Sam replied quietly and held his breath as she looked back up at him and smiled thinly.

"I heard you trying to tell them that."

Shuddering at the memory, Sam held her curious gaze and watched the frown forming over her tired, frightened eyes.

"Do you know who did?"

_Do I ever. _Sam tried to stay calm, painful memories making his head throb. A shiver ran through him as his mind was filled with thoughts of the evil bitch that had worn Meg's skin and forced her to cause so much agony. And then nausea filled his empty stomach as he recalled the sensation of being so consumed with that same powerful evil, his body out of his control and his mind flitting in and out of vague awareness._ Steve Wandell. Jo. Dean. _Sam closed his eyes and swallowed back the bile in his throat. _I figured I was over it by now. Guess I was wrong._

"Sam?"

"No." Sam gasped, flicking his head back up to her and somehow managing to sound fairly close to calm. "No, I don't know who killed her." He replied, letting his head drop back down with a weary sigh.

Amber nodded slowly. "Were you good friends with my sister?"

_Friends? You're kidding, right? _Sam closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "I guess." He managed._ Breathe, Sam. Just breathe. _It was all he could think of. All he could see. His own hands gripping the hunter's hair and forcing his head back, blood flowing freely from the cut Sam made across his neck. The fear and sorrow in Jo's eyes as the darkness within him tormented her, his laughter filling the air around him. And Dean. _God, Dean, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._

Sam took a deep breath and sat back up straight, wincing as bruises and breaks screamed in protest. "How long have I been here?"

"Two days."

The answer made renewed panic build. _Two days? Dean? Where the hell are you? _Sam closed his eyes and focused on gently breathing in and out, trying to ignore the pain in his side and the fear in his mind. _Something must have happened. Or he'd have been here by now._

"You okay?" Amber asked quietly. "I mean, I know you're not _okay_ but …"

"Who's Dom?" Sam asked suddenly, looking back up at her.

"Dom? Oh, I dunno. I think Dad met him in a bar a few weeks back." She tucked her hair behind her ears and gave a loud sigh. "I don't like him." Smiling suddenly, she nodded towards Sam. "Guess you're not overly keen either, huh?"

"Nope." Sam confirmed, instinctively hugging his arm a little closer to his chest and moaning softly.

"I'm scared, Sam."

Sam's heart was racing suddenly as he sensed her allegiance wavering and hope stirred within him once again.

"My dad's changed." Amber continued quietly, keeping her gaze on Sam and shrugging in discomfort. "You know?"

"I can't imagine what he must have been through." Sam offered carefully. _Liar._

"I mean … at first, I kinda got it." Her face fell and she seemed for a moment on the verge of tears. "It was horrible."

Sam could understand exactly what she meant. The not knowing and no news generating the worst imaginings that would creep up in the wee small hours.

"Mom got so angry with him. She didn't know why he wouldn't leave it be."

Thinking of all the friends and family his father had pissed off over the years, Sam saw it made a strange sort of sense now.

"She was really wonderful, y'know."

Sam looked up and saw Amber gazing in sorrow at the beige file that still rested on the floor in front of him. It made his heart sink and he instinctively struggled forward to close the photographs away. In the darkness, he had not realized they were still there but now they seemed to glow tauntingly.

"I mean … she was my big sister ..." Amber smiled fondly at the memories that she seemed to be dwelling on for a second. "And she was so cool."

Seeing her bottom jaw tremble, Sam politely looked away but heard her sniffing slightly and was aware of his own tears forming.

"Oh, what a mess."

Sam looked back up and watched Amber wiping her face with her hands.

She shrugged off the apparent weight on her shoulders and took a deep breath. "It was just after she left for the first term in Boston."

Sam leaned back against the wall, wincing in pain and trying to decide on the best way to persuade Amber to help him get free.

"It's not like she was moving that far but ..." Amber shook her head and laughed softly, "If he could, Dad would have paid for the professor's to come to our _house_. He was so worried about her leaving home. I guess he was right."

Listening quietly, Sam gave a small nod.

"But … he had to make do with at least being in the same state."

_Massachusetts? _Sam frowned in concern.

"They drove a long way to go and get you." Amber confirmed, seeming to guess the cause for his sudden concern. "Dom and his lovely mate Hector." She groaned slightly, "Be glad you haven't met that piece of shit again."

_Worse than Dom? Oh, I bet he's a barrel of fun. _Again, the echo of his brother's flippant tone and suddenly the ache in his chest worsened. _Massachusetts, Dean. Be okay. Please. Come find me._

"Listen. I'm gonna try and talk to my dad. See if he'll rethink this whole idea."

Relief and delight flooded through him and he could not hold back the smile that must have shown as much.

Amber nodded, "I'm not promising anything but … this just isn't cool."

Sam cleared his throat and his smile grew. "Thanks."

"But … how much trouble is he gonna get in?"

His smile fading, Sam was unsure what to say and shrugged slightly. "I don't know." He saw her hesitate and sighed heavily. "Look … I just want to get out of here. And I'll not call the police."

Considering this for a moment, Amber stood and turned from him. She glanced back briefly as she ascended the stairs and gave Sam a quick smile.

_Massachusetts. Shit. I'm practically on the other side of the country. _Sam closed his eyes and let his head fall gently back against the wall. Panic stirred for the briefest of moments and then suddenly he was aware of the certainty that calmed him. _It's okay. Dean will come._ It had never been otherwise. There was not a moment in his life where he had needed his big brother and had not somehow had him by his side. It was just fact. Dean always came through for him. There was nothing he would not do. Sorrow and grief suddenly gripped his insides and squeezed hard. _He has already given everything. _As though Sam could have ever forgotten. Thinking back over the past week, tears flooded down Sam's face and he hugged at his chest as he wept quietly. 

"_Did you sell your soul for me? Like Dad did … ?"_

"_NO! Come on, Sam …"_

_Sam saw his brother's angry denial fade suddenly, replaced by exhaustion and gut-wrenching sorrow. And the truth was obvious in his tear-filled eyes. Nodding slowly and trying to swallow past the lump in his throat, Sam took a deep breath and had to ask; "How long did they give you?"_

"_One year."_

Despite the gravity of the situation, the truth had not hit Sam until the next day. It had taken that long to process all that they had been through and his mind had been overwhelmed. And now he felt again the empty grief that seemed about to consume him_. A year. And god knows how long I've been here, wasting precious time._ Renewed determination filled his limbs with fresh energy and he got to his feet. The room danced wildly about him and he placed his good hand on the wall to steady himself, his labored breathing loud in his ears. After a moment he chanced taking a few steps towards the stairs and he then heard the commotion up in the house above. 

Sam paused in dread on the bottom step as the door opened and Dom's large frame filled the gap. Backing away, he watched the man step down onto the staircase.

"Tried working your twisted mojo on the other sister now, huh?" Dom demanded angrily.

"What?" Sam stood in the centre of the floor, his recent burst of determination giving him a strong sense of bravado. He held Dom's annoyed glare evenly and somehow straightened his body. As Dom reached the basement floor, Sam realized that he had almost a full head in height advantage -- as he did with most people -- and it built his confidence further.

"If it was up to me, pretty-boy, I'd string you up and take you apart a piece at a time."

Sam stood his ground and squared his shoulders, his injured arm still held close to his body but his free hand clenching into a tight fist. "Tell me." He began calmly, "What sort of qualifications does one need to be a mindless henchman?"

Dom paused for the briefest of moments and Sam could almost see the confusion moving across the guy's face. He smiled in amusement and then saw the recognition as Dom guessed that whatever Sam had said must have been to mock him. All beef and very little style, Sam anticipated the broad man's lunge and -- despite his injuries -- was able to quickly evade. Kicking out, he drove his boot into Dom's knee and felt a satisfying crunch. Dom staggered forward and dropped his head. Sam brought his fist up sharply and grunted as his knuckles met Dom's jaw. It was enough. Dom was stunned and trying to keep his balance. Sam saw his chance and lunged for the stairs. 

He had reached half way up the staircase when a large hand clasped his ankle and ripped his foot from under him. Swinging down and forwards, Sam's injured arm met the stairs below him first and he then crumpled on top of it. Screaming in pain, he then felt the grip on his leg tighten and he was pulled down the staircase. Dragged like a rag doll, clutching at his arm, Sam thudded down the steps and sobbed loudly. Hearing his own tight voice begging Dom to stop, he was then vaguely aware of someone else also shouting at the man to leave Sam alone.

Finally stopping in a heap on the floor, Sam curled up fetal-like on his side and tried to catch his breath.

"Just _stop_ it, you sick bastard!"

Blinking away tears, Sam craned his head round and saw Amber hurrying down the stairs. He gasped in fright and was about to warn her off when something on the floor by the stairs caught his eye. Still distracted by Amber's angry shouts, Dom was unaware of Sam's quick lunge to grab the screwdriver. Sam grunted in effort as he grasped the handle and swung back, sinking the flat-headed metal through the denim covering Dom's wide thigh. 

"Ow!" Dom's leg buckled slightly and he grabbed at the imbedded handle of the tool. With a grumble of pain, he gripped the screwdriver and pulled it free.

Sam looked on in horror as he watched Dom toss the screwdriver aside and then turn back to face Sam. Blood poured freely from the wound in the top of his left leg but Dom seemed unfazed. _Great. Now he's really pissed._

"You're gonna regret that." Dom hissed.

Dread shuddered through Sam and he stared in disbelief at the man's reddened face. And somehow he was unsurprised as Dom's furiously glaring eyes turned the darkest black.

"Amber, get out of here!" Sam shouted firmly, edging back from Dom and trying to lead him away from her.

"Dom!" Amber persisted, apparently having not heard Sam. "Leave him alone."

"Amber, go!" Sam barked. He glanced beyond Dom and watched her flinch slightly and pause on the bottom step.

"No, Amber." Dom suddenly stopped his advance towards Sam and turned back. "Stay down here."

"Amber, RUN!" Sam called out, groaning in dismay as Dom leapt at her. He watched as she was dragged down from the stairs and tossed aside.

Dom glanced back at Sam with a satisfied grin and hurried back up into the house.

Getting back up from the floor seemed, for a moment, to be an impossible feat. But somehow he managed it and grabbed the bannisters before him to steady himself. Peering up at the door, he thought he could hear the scraping and grinding of furniture being shoved across to block their exit and Sam groaned in dismay.

"Shit!"

Looking down, Sam saw Amber prizing herself from the heap she had landed in and he crouched beside her. "You okay?"

"No."

It was a stupid question and Sam smiled an apology as she glared up at him in annoyance. Stunned and obviously upset, she seemed otherwise unhurt and he watched her get to her feet and brush herself down.

"Bastard."

_You can say that again. _Sam nodded and perched on the stairs for a moment, his eyes following Amber as she began to search through the basement. "Please tell me there's stuff in here that can help us?" He commented softly.

"Maybe." Amber looked through the shelves and opened a couple of boxes. "We must be able to pull some kind of A-Team escape with all this."

Sam laughed softly and limped over to her side. Peering over her shoulder, noting sadly the way she instinctively curled away from him, he looked over some of the junk and frowned in thought.

"Oh well." Amber sighed in disappointment. "Still …"

Watching her hurry back past him, Sam looked on in hope as she climbed up onto an old armchair and examined the wooden slats that covered the narrow windows. He heard her determined mumbles as she jogged back and grabbed a range of tools from the box he had opened earlier.

"What d'you think? Shall I just go for help?"

Sam watched her pulling on the nailed boards with the edge of the hammer's head and stood to offer what assistance he could. Unsure quite what to suggest, he reached up with his good arm to help pull back the end of the piece of wood she had angled free.

"Quite what the police will make of all this …" Amber continued under her breath. She then stopped suddenly and turned to look down at Sam, gasping in fright. "Dad!"

Sam nodded in understanding and placed his good hand on her arm lightly. "Listen … Dom is …" He shrugged. "You're dad is in trouble."

"No, shit!"

Sighing slightly, Sam chose his words carefully. "Listen to me … Dom's not 'normal' …"

Amber laughed suddenly, "Thanks. I _had_ noticed."

"Seriously." Sam urged, "I've … well … I've met his type before and we need to protect your dad."

Forgetting her current task, Amber turned to face Sam and frowned in concern. "Just what the fuck do you mean by that?" She demanded, her breathing quickening. "My dad _hired_ him to work for him. He - "

"Please. You have to trust me."

"You're _kidding_, right?" Amber gasped, smiling in disbelief, "Just how hard did you hit your head? I mean, _you're_ the bad guy in all this, genius!"

_Oh god, you don't know how wrong you are._

Muffled sounds of raised voices and ominous thuds somewhere above them made them both suddenly look up at the ceiling.

"Shit!"

Moving out of her way, Sam watched Amber jump down and run back across to the stairs. She peered up at the door and shook her head in frightened concern.

"Crap." Sam murmured. He hurried back to the stacked boxes and grabbed as many things as he could carry with one arm. "Here."

Amber wandered closer and took the candlestick from him, frowning in confusion. "And …?"

"Just take it." Sam sighed, stooping to pick up the scraps of wood he had dropped and groaning in pain as he stood back up. "Follow me." He lifted one foot onto the bottom step.

"What?" Amber scoffed, "You're in no state to take on Dom again!"

Sam stepped up onto the first stair and looked down to see the amusement and doubt that played across her pale face. "I don't need to. I just need to distract him." He shrugged and continued towards the door.

"And then what?"

Aware of her following after him, Sam reached into his back pocket, found the thin metal rods and crouched down to peer at the lock. "You need to head straight for the kitchen and get as much salt as you can find."

"Come again?"

Sam grimaced as he tentatively used his damaged right hand to angle his makeshift lock-pick into the mechanism. Clenching his teeth and feeling nausea build as he forced his fingers to move and it jarred his injured wrist, he then sighed loudly. "Get your dad into one of the rooms and put a line of salt across the entrance." He heard the lock click open and turned the handle, testing the door. "You have to keep the salt between you and Dom, okay? That's the most important part."

Amber was staring up at him in confusion and disbelief.

"Are you listening?"

"Salt?"

"Salt." Sam confirmed with a firm nod. "I'll explain more when this is over. You just have to -"

"Trust you."

"Yeah."

"Right." Amber hung her head and wiped her forehead with the back one of her hands. "Shit, this is so fucked up."

"It's me or Dom." Sam offered.

"Good point."

Watching her quickly decide, Sam smiled and nodded in reassurance. He then took a deep breath and reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. "You remember what I said?"

"Kitchen, salt, find dad." Amber replied quickly, "Then draw a line of magic sodium crystals between us and a few hundred pounds of mad-as-hell testosterone."

Grinning warmly, Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Exactly."

Amber groaned and shook her head, mumbling something about wishing she had gone to her cousins after all. She stepped up beside Sam and leaned into the door.

The door was weighted with the chest of drawers that had been pushed against it but it started to give as the two of them pushed hard together. The drawers slid across the polished hardwood floor of the hall and soon the door was open enough for Amber to squeeze through.

The shouting was coming from the far end of the corridor. Sam watched Amber peer carefully around the edge of the door and then saw her give a brief nod. He followed her up into the hall and looked along towards the kitchen, where Dom was arguing furiously with an equally angry James. _Oh that's just great._

"I can cut round to the back door."

Sam turned to Amber and saw hope and fear playing in her eyes.

"Or I could just go for help." She whispered, with a shrug.

"No." Sam hissed quickly, "Go." He nodded towards the front door, seeing that it was dark outside. He'd lost all track of time and it threw him for a moment. Renewed shouting brought him instantly back up to speed.

Sam watched Amber creep along the edge of the corridor and held his breath as she carefully exited through the front door. His heart in his mouth, he stepped away from the basement door and kicked it shut. The noise caught the attention of the two men in the kitchen and Sam saw Dom appear, the first to investigate.

"Oh yeah?" Dom scoffed, smiling in amusement as he stepped from the kitchen. "Where exactly do you think you're going?"

_Nowhere fast._ Sam backed up along the hall as Dom advanced, watching the man move further from the kitchen door.

"Dude." Dom laughed, apparently enjoying seeing Sam cower away from him. "You actually want me to smack you about some more? Or you just damned stupid?"

"None of the above." Sam replied evenly, seeing the movement in the kitchen behind Dom and feeling a small smile build.

"What?" Dom barked, "You wise-cracking again, bitch?"

Sam paused and leaned against the wall. Dom was looming ever closer but Sam had not moved far from the small collection of items set down by the basement door. He lunged quickly, gasping as his hurt ribs jarred painfully.

Dom watched in intrigue and amusement. His smile then faltered as he was suddenly faced with a heavy black candlestick. And then he laughed in delight.

"Yeah?" Sam gasped, bringing himself back upright. He lunged the candlestick forward and pressed it against Dom's chest.

"What the f - "

Sam groaned in relief and watched the heavy man stumble backwards from him. "Wrought iron, dick-head. Kinda drags, huh?" He saw a brief flash of a dark shadow pass over Dom's face and heard the groan of discomfort.

"No!" Dom smacked the candlestick away from him and advanced on Sam, growling in annoyance. 

_Oops. _Sam lost his grip on the heavy ornament and it clattered onto the hardwood floor. And then Dom was upon him. The blow was fast and impossibly hard. His chin clicked as the fist made contact and he was sent flying sideways and down onto the floor.

"Sam!"

Shaking his head to clear the dizziness, Sam looked up and saw Amber standing just inside the kitchen. She held up the packet of salt and nodded quickly. _Oh, good girl!_

"You are one annoying son of a bitch, Winchester."

Looking back, he saw Dom stepping closer and fumbled behind him for the wood. Leaning up on one elbow, he crossed the two sticks across each other and held his breath.

"Oh please!" Dom laughed in delight. "What's this? I'm not a blood-sucker!"

Sam nodded quickly, "Should have a similar affect though, you fire-eating bastard." He grated, his heart pounding in his chest as he saw the amusement on Dom's face linger.

"Sam! What are you _doing_?"

"Amber, stay there!" Sam shouted hurriedly, watching in the corner of his eye as she moved towards the hall, her father close beside her.

"Well?" Dom shrugged, "What's supposed to happen, altar-boy?"

Sam glared up at him and took a deep breath. "Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde, in nomine Dei Patris omnipotentis - "

"NO!"

Barking out the breath within him as the boot slammed into his gut, Sam fell back against the floor.

"Sam!"

Sure that he was going to pass out, his vision darkening and his mind filled with the pain in his gut, Sam then heard her run from the kitchen. He shook his head and tried to warn her but then felt her fall to her knees by his head, her hands grabbing his shoulders.

"Sam!"

"Aww, how sweet." Dom cooed icily.

Finally drawing in breath, Sam lifted his head and turned to look up at Amber's distraught face. Beside him, Dom was moving in again and Sam groaned weakly. "Salt - "

Amber did not hesitate and spun round, flicking a thick line of white granules across the hall. She gasped as she saw Dom jump back in fright and watched in amazement as he kept a safe distance from the salt.

Sam glanced at the floor and saw the line did not meet the edges of the hallway. He clenched his teeth and grabbed Amber's arm. "Up - "

Without a word, Amber helped Sam onto his feet and pulled his good arm around her shoulders. They turned towards the kitchen and he hissed in pain as he staggered forwards.

James was looking on the scene in bewildered silence and met Sam's fearful, pain-filled eyes. He stepped back from the kitchen door to give the two of them room and then gasped in horror.

Sam closed his eyes. He had heard Dom begin after them but had somehow hoped they would make it further. His battered body would not move any faster and he cried out as his support was yanked from under him. Hearing Amber scream in fright, he lost his balance and tumbled onto the floor.

_Tbc ..._


	4. Chapter 4

James ran forward, reaching out for his daughter and shouting angrily. He paused as he saw her struggle against Dom's tight grip and then he noted the strong hand clasped around her neck. With a gasp, he halted and shook his head in fright.

"You should have listened to me, James." Dom chided quietly. "Now look what's happened."

"Let her go." James pleaded softly.

"No, I don't think so." Dom grated, "You've pissed me off now."

Sam rolled onto his back and gasped for breath. _Come on, you big wuss! Get back in there! _He struggled up onto one elbow and his chest heaved as he looked up at the stand-off before him. Clearing his throat, he frowned in thought and then picked up the words once again. "In nomine Jesu - "

"Stop!"

Sam saw Amber flinch in pain, her fingers grabbing at the hand around her neck.

"I'll break her neck!" Dom warned angrily.

"No!" James gasped, spinning at Sam and shaking his head desperately. "Please!"

Sam looked back at Dom and a smile pulled at his lips. "You're bluffing."

Dom grinned and tightened his grip. Amber groaned and James cried out in fear.

"You need her to bargain with." Sam continued coolly, "It's why you allowed her to be here - why you _wanted _her to be here." He saw Dom's defiance slip a little and Sam's smile grew. "Who are you _really _working for?"

"What?"

Sam shrugged, regretting the pain of the action but keeping his face calm. "Someone like you doesn't just hold back for the fun of it. You're waiting for someone." He saw confirmation in the disappearance of Dom's smile and his heart began to race. "And I bet I know who."

Dom sighed in annoyance and shook his head slowly. "You're wrong, college-boy."

Aware of James and Amber watching him in anticipation and dread, Sam slowly sat up and began to roll onto his knees. "I don't think so." He countered, clenching his teeth as he carefully got his feet. Standing upright, wobbling just a little, he sighed and held Dom's gaze calmly. "Let her go."

Dom laughed nervously. "Or what?"

"Amber!" James started forward desperately.

"James, get back in the kitchen." Sam ordered gently, watching the man frown in confusion and then glance at his daughter. "Please." Sam added. He smiled as James gave a sigh and then retreated from the hallway.

"What the hell _is_ this?" James asked quietly.

_Just that. Hell. _Sam glanced quickly at him. _Okay, here goes. _"Your friend Dom is possessed by a demon."

James gasped in revulsion and stared at Sam in disbelief. He then turned back to his daughter's tear-soaked face and the monster that held her.

Sam waited for a heartbeat, hoping that James' silence was a good thing. He then calmly looked back at Dom and felt a small smile pull at his mouth as he once again found himself knowing just what Dean would say in a moment like this. It gave him strength and his smile grew. "Granted, not a very powerful demon. But a pain in the ass nontheless."

"What?" Dom barked in outrage. "Oh you've got so it coming, pretty-boy. Just wait till - "

"Till what?" Sam's smile grew, "Till your big bad boss gets here? Bring it on, shit-head!" He shouted suddenly, angry adrenaline flooding through him. "We've sent her back to the fires before. You think I'm scared of that bitch?"

Dom seemed to falter.

Sam heard Amber's sigh of relief and knew that the grip on her throat had lessened. He stepped closer and held out his hand. "Give her to me."

"And then what?"

Sam shrugged, "Then you can go."

"What?" Came a shocked shriek from the kitchen.

Keeping his steady gaze on Dom, Sam held up a his good hand to silence James. "Exorcism is painful." He offered carefully, memories stinging in the back of his mind. "Go have your fun elsewhere. Or be ripped from that body."

"You won't get it finished." Dom tightened his grip once again, his prisoner whimpering and struggling against him.

"You think I give a crap about her?" Sam ignored the gasp behind him and the horror in Amber's frightened eyes. "There's something way bigger than these two happening out there." He gestured around them with his good arm. "And I need to get back to the front-line. Leave now or face the torture of being dragged free, screaming and burning."

"How do I know you'll let me go?"

"You don't." Sam grinned merrily, channeling pure Dean arrogance and enjoying the feeling. "But harm her and I guarantee you pain and suffering."

There was a moments pause. Sam's stance and even gaze were unwavering. Dom seemed torn and frowned in frustration. And then suddenly Amber was free. She toppled forward and scrambled past Sam, hurrying into the kitchen and her father's embrace.

"Thank you." Sam sighed in relief and laughed gently. He stepped forward and shook his head. "You know, you had me going for a moment there." Smiling in delight, he looked down at Dom and shook his head slowly. "But … seems you need to grow a pair."

"What?"

Sam ducked the fist that was swung at him and punched out at Dom, landing a satisfying thud into his face. Dom toppled backwards and it was all the time Sam needed. Crouching and grabbing the salt packet Amber had dropped on the floor, he flicked his wrist and white granules went flying across the hall from one wall to another. _Way to go, Sammy! _Hurrying past Dom, he completed the partial line Amber had made and stepped over it.

"NO!"

Sam turned and saw Dom had realized the trap. He was red with anger and breathing hard, glaring at Sam. "Gotcha!" Sam chuckled happily and sighed loudly. "Oh, Dom, you silly boy. You really don't know who you're messing with."

"Go to hell!"

And Sam had to clutch at his ribs as he barked in laughter, his face tight with delight. In a flash he was calm once more and stood up straight, his smile falling away. Stepping closer to the salt line and glaring down at Dom, he growled softly. "You first."

Stepping back a little and seeing the hesitation in his captive's eyes, Sam suddenly smile once again. "You know, I actually can't remember the rest of that Latin shit." He shrugged a little and laughed softly. "But I think all that matters is the essence of it. And the belief behind it."

Dom shook his head slowly and swallowed hard. "Please. Don't."

"In the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit - " Sam saw Dom flinch slightly and his smile grew. " I am a servant of the one true God and by the power he has vested in me I command you to leave this body."

Groaning softly, Dom's body convulsed briefly and the first spasms of pain were evident on his frightened face.

Sam gave a satisfied sigh. "I call upon the Holy Spirit to drive out the evil and in the name of God and His son Jesus Christ, I bless this house."

Nothing.

Sam sighed in annoyance and closed his eyes, trying to remember the translation or the original text. He could hear Dom chuckling in pity and his anger grew. Then suddenly he recalled the words he had once heard his father say, and tried to decipher the exact phrase. And he laughed softly, shaking his head at the simplicity of the solution. _Sam, you damned fool!_

Sam closed his eyes and smiled, sighing loudly. "Amen."

And Dom screamed.

Sam looked up and watched in relief as the large man fell to his knees and cried up at the ceiling, his entire body seized in the grip of agony. And then a familiar black smoke poured from his mouth and gathered above him.

Watching in morbid fascination as the dark matter rippled in a cloud next to the ceiling, Sam smiled thinly. The demon shrieked in fury and pain, swirling in a frenzy back and forth above them but unable to escape. Enjoying the view, Sam's smile grew and then suddenly fell away. He stepped forward and wiped the toe of his boot through the salt line. The demon seemed to wail in anger and then swept past him, the air in the hallway rushing after it and pulling at Sam's hair.

Sam took a moment to absorb his success and stared down at the still form in the hallway. He then felt the ground sway beneath him and, his body emptied of his last reserves, he could no longer hold himself upright.

"Sam!"

He met the hardwood floor with a grunt and closed his eyes. His adrenaline deserting him and his body feeling every bruise and cut throbbing anew, he was aware of Amber hurrying over to him but too weary to acknowledge her.

"Dad, help me!"

He was lifted from the floor and four hands supported him as he was half dragged and half carried from the hall. The room was dancing giddily around him as they guided him towards the sofa inside the lounge door and he sank back against the soft leather.

"Sam?"

Forcing his heavy eyes open, he could just about focus on her and he managed a weak smile.

"Shit!" Amber hissed in a panic, "Dad, call 9-1-1."

"What? We can't!"

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, Amber. How would we explain this?"

Sam listened to their quiet argument and opened his eyes again. Amber was knelt beside him and he reached out to grab her shoulder. "My … my brother."

Amber spun to face him. "Who?"

"Have to … call … my brother." Sam urged, tensing against the pain that filled his entire being. "Dean …"

Amber nodded slowly and placed her hand over Sam's.

"No." James stepped closer to the sofa and shook his head. "I'm sorry … Amber, we just need to drive him to the ER and leave him there."

"What?" Amber gasped and got to her feet. "Dad, he just saved our lives!"

Sam looked up at them both and saw the distress in James' weary face. His focus wavered and he could feel nausea building. Moaning softly, he rested his head to the side and hugged his injured arm against his chest.

"That thing - " Amber pointed towards the hallway. "Was a demon, Dad." She sniffed back sudden tears and nodded towards Sam. "And I'm guessing it was a demon that killed Megan."

"No!"

Sam blinked his eyes open briefly and met James' horrified face. He could see the harsh reality deepening the man's sorrow and Sam slowly nodded. "Yeah … sorry…"

"Oh my god …" James stepped away and sank onto the opposite sofa.

"Dad?" Amber followed him and wiped her face as she perched beside him. "We can't leave him like this."

"But we can't call an ambulance, they'll - "

"Fine. So call mom."

Sam peered over at the two of them and tried to lift his head. Hissing in pain, he gave up and lay still. "Dean." He managed in a whisper. "Call … Dean."

"Okay." James stood and dragged his hands through his hair. "Okay … let me get the phone."

Sam heard him wander from the room and Amber hurried after him. Torn between giving in to his spent body's desire to sleep and needing to stay alert to give them his brother's cell number, he adjusted his position slightly. His long legs were draped over the edge of the sofa and the weight pulled at his side. Shifting sideways across the slippery leather, he curled over and rested the side of his face on the arm of the sofa. He still hurt but he was the smallest bit more comfortable and he groaned wearily.

He heard the noise from somewhere behind him and it did not register at first. Then a shadow moved over his closed eyelids and he was startled alert, wincing as he tried to sit up.

"What?" Dom leaned heavily against the lounge door, his injured leg sagging beneath him and one hand pressed to the side of his head. "What the hell …?"

Sam watched warily, seeing the man's confusion and exhaustion but all too familiar with the bulk and power he possessed.

"Where am I?"

"Shit!"

Sam heard Amber cry out in alarm and watched from the corner of his eye as she stepped cautiously into the lounge from the other end of the long room.

"Dom?"

Dom's frown grew, "Amber? What - ?"

Sam watched the large man sag against the door-frame and saw slow recollection bring horror and sadness to Dom's pale face. He held his breath as Dom turned to him and studying Sam obviously brought new light onto the matter. Sam recognized the sorrow and disbelief that registered in Dom's eyes and it made his stomach turn. _Oh god, I know how that feels._

"Oh hell no …" Dom staggered away from the door, limping and clutching at his bleeding thigh. He fell heavily into the nearest chair and hung his head, reaching up to cover his face. "Please … no …"

Sam sympathized with the poor guy and sighed in dismay as he carefully turned to Amber. No longer able to support himself in his semi-upright position, he sank back against the sofa with a sigh.

"Oh. Here!"

Amber was carrying a glass of water and a bottle of pills. She hurried over to kneel down in front of Sam and held out the drink. His good arm was tucked beneath him and she tipped the glass against his lips for him.

Sam sipped at the water and smiled as she showed him the label on the pill bottle. _That the strongest you've got?_ _And to think I've just re-stocked our supply. _He opened his mouth and she placed two of the white tablets on his tongue.

"Thanks, by the way." Amber offered softly, watching him swallow back the tablets. "And … I'm sorry."

Sam looked up at her and nodded a reply.

Amber blinked away tears and put the empty glass on the floor. She then stood and grabbed a pad from the table. "What's your brother's number?"

Sam recited the digits and watched her scribble it down.

"Dad's just talking to Mom." Amber offered, shrugging slightly, "Which he hasn't done for a long while. And …" She checked her watch, "It is the middle of the night so she's probably pissed that he woke her."

Sam watched her as she stared in concerned intrigue at the quietly crying Dom. His eyes were heavy and after a moment he let them slide shut.

"So … what really happened to my sister …?"

He tried to listen to her gentle voice and understood that she needed answers but his last reserves were long gone. Sam sighed gratefully as silent darkness filled his mind.

* * *

"No, Amber! This is _insane_!"

The new voice broke through the dark shadows in his head and Sam could feel himself gradually floating back to consciousness. For a moment it was only his mind that regained any sort of sensation and he focused on the heated conversation taking place somewhere in the distance.

"You have to help him!"

"Amber, for god's sake! He's a _person_, not a pet!"

"Mom, please! You're the _only_ place we could go. And it must be just the same as - "

"No! It's not. Not at all."

Sam could feel his body slowly returning to life and it reminded him in sudden, sharp clarity of the state it was in. He groaned as pain cancelled out all other thoughts and filled his entire being.

"Sam!"

Feeling a gentle hand on his shoulder -- and glad that she touched one of the few parts of him that was undamaged -- Sam managed a nod and blinked his eyes open.

"Oh thank god!"

Sam looked up at Amber's tear-stained smile and then frowned in confusion. Lifting his head a little, pain throbbing behind his eyes, he took in his surroundings. He was lying on a long table in the centre of a large white room, cupboards and equipment covering every inch of the space around. "Where - ?" Gasping in shock, he tried to sit up and a combination of dizziness and Amber's gentle hands stopped him.

"It's okay." Amber soothed quickly, "We're at my mom's place."

Sam looked back up at her and watched her nodding in reassurance. "But - ?"

"You were totally out of it." Amber shrugged, her smile fading slightly. "I was really scared. Then we brought you here."

"'We' … ?"

Amber nodded, "Dad and Dom went home." She sighed and glanced across the room. "He didn't want to stay here."

Sam followed her eyes and could just about see the figure standing in the doorway. His frown grew as the woman gave a small wave and stepped into the room.

"Hey there." The woman shrugged slightly and tucked her long blonde hair behind her ear. "I'm Caroline." She approached the table and smiled thinly. "My daughter brought you here but - "

"Mom, please!"

Sam looked between Amber and her mother, seeing the likeness and equal determination. He sighed and propped himself up onto one elbow, his head spinning. "Look. I don't want trouble. Just call my brother and - "

"I did."

Turning to Amber, Sam's heart leapt but the hope then quickly fizzled out as he saw her shrug an apology.

"I just get voicemail."

"Crap." Sam hung his head and groaned softly.

"Listen. Sam?"

He looked back up and saw Amber's mother move in closer. Sam could see worry and hesitation in the soft hazel eyes that she had handed down to both her daughters.

"Amber's told me everything." Caroline began carefully, "I'm so sorry for what my psychotic ex-husband has done - "

"Mom!"

Caroline shot her daughter a warning glare and took a deep breath. "I'd like to help but - "

"It's okay." Sam shook his head and struggled to sit himself upright. Grateful for the hands that helped him up and then steadied him, he smiled thinly at the two of them. "Can I use your phone? There are other people I can call."

"No!" Amber gasped.

"It's okay." Caroline laughed softly and placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder to quieten her. She then smiled up at Sam -- almost at eye level -- and indicated the lab around them. "It's not that I don't _want _to help you, Sam. I'm just not sure I can." Her smile grew, "I'm a veterinarian."

Sam frowned at her.

"Look." Caroline timidly placed her hand on the arm he was not clutching protectively against his chest. "You're hurt." She glanced at Amber, "Let me see what I can do."

"No, really, I need to - " Sam began to protest.

Caroline nodded quickly. "Amber, go get the phone please."

Sam watched Amber hurry from the room and then looked back at her mother. "Thanks."

"Oh, don't thank me yet." Caroline chuckled, "I might just make things worse."

"I seriously doubt that." Sam groaned.

Caroline frowned in concern and then nodded towards the arm he hugged against his chest. "Can I take a look?"

Sam held his breath as he slowly lowered his right hand and then warily straightened his arm out towards her. He watched her gently slide his shirt cuff up towards his elbow and he groaned as he saw the extent of the bruising in the brightness of the room.

"I'll need to x-ray this." Caroline offered quietly as she peered at the bruised, odd shape of his wrist.

Glad that she had not needed to touch his arm, Sam watched her frowning in sympathy and then met her soft eyes as she looked back up at him.

"And that looks nasty …" She observed, leaning closer to study the damage to his nose. "Amber said you were knocked out a few times."

Sam nodded.

"And now? How's your head?"

"About five sizes too big."

Caroline smiled warmly. "Now painkillers I can do." She assured gently and moved round the table.

Sam held still, aware of her moving up behind him and checking out the blood-matted hair on the back of his head. He flinched as she moved back the hair and heard her gasp an apology. "It's okay." He shrugged.

"Hmm. I'd better take a film of your head as well." Caroline sighed slightly and returned to stand before him. "Then that'll need stitching." She continued, pointing towards his head.

Amber hurried back into the room and held out the portable phone towards Sam. He thanked her and took it from her, frowning as he keyed in his brother's cell number.

"_This is Dean. Leave a message."_

Sam's shoulders fell and he winced as pain tore through his chest. With a sigh, he entered another number and then held his breath. He listened to the dialing tone repeating over and over. His throat tightened and he ended the call, panic building. Sam's hand was shaking as he entered another possibility and put the handset to his ear.

"_Hello?"_

He could not speak at first and he hung his head, tears stinging his eyes.

"_Hello?"_

"Ellen."

"_Sam! Sam is that you? Sam?"_

"Yeah, it's me."

"_Oh thank god!"_

He could hear the emotion in her voice and it made the lump in his throat increase in size.

"_Where are you? Are you okay?"_

"Yeah. It's … it's a long story. I'm in - " He looked up at Amber and frowned in confusion.

"Andover." Amber offered quickly and glanced at her mother. "The Animal Hospital on Lowell Street."

Sam repeated the location and heard Ellen reciting it back.

"_We knew you were out that way. We tracked the van to a rental place outside of Boston."_

"Oh, thank god. And Dean - "

"_Has been going out of his mind, Sam. He'll be so glad you're okay. He's with Bobby at the moment - they took the last flight out."_

_That explains the voicemail. _Sam sighed in relief and then suddenly frowned. "Wait … he's flying?"

"_Yeah. Who'd have known your big bad brother is scared of planes, huh?"_

Sam smiled, fresh tears welling and he swallowed them back.

"_And apparently your phobia is clowns."_

_Bastard! _Sam closed his eyes and his smile grew. _I'll let you have that one, jerk. Seeing as you got on a plane for me. Guess there really is nothing you won't do._

"_Sam? You okay, honey?"_

Sam cleared his throat. "Yeah."

"_It's so good to hear you. Dean will check in when they land. Shouldn't be much longer."_

"Great." Sam concluded the call and paused for a moment. Sniffing back tears, he handed the phone back and nodded his thanks. Amber smiled a warm 'you're welcome' and he then turned to see Caroline was studying him in concerned interest.

"Amber, honey. Please go get the portable x-ray."

Sam heard Amber agree and watched her head from the room. He then saw Caroline close the door after her daughter and his heart began to race. Something about the way she studied him made him feel suddenly cold inside. _Oh shit, Sammy! How could you be so stupid?_

_Tbc ..._


	5. Chapter 5

"Okay." Caroline crossed the room and held Sam in a steady frown. "Shirt off."

"What?" Sam gasped.

"I saw the way you barely move. Let me see."

Sam studied her closely as she approached and took a deep breath. "Christo." He muttered softly and sighed in relief as he saw no reaction in her gentle face. He nodded slowly, reaching up with his good hand to fumble with the uppermost button.

"Here." Caroline shook her head and hurried closer. She frowned as she unbuttoned his shirt and opened it, taking hold of the hem of his pale blue t-shirt beneath.

Sam flinched back from her hard.

"Hey. Easy." Caroline soothed, placing her hand on his shoulder. She peered up into his tight face and sighed in dismay. "God … I can't imagine what you've been through."

_Believe me, this is nothing. _Sam nodded and gave a small shrug.

"He's totally lost it."

_Oh, you think? _He saw the anger that crossed her face and gave a gentle moan of sympathy. "I'm very sorry. About your daughter."

Caroline met his weary eyes and gave a brief smile of thanks. "I'm not saying it's not hard." She commented quietly, again carefully lifting up his t-shirt. "But there are ways of moving on without becoming the crazy son-of-a-bitch James is."

Sam was unsure what to say, aware that his own family were not exactly stable.

"Still … this will help me get total custody."

"Amber?"

"Yeah." Caroline sighed, "The judge took her wishes into account at the hearing. Like a teenager knows what's best for her future." She shook her head and groaned slightly. "I think this needs to come right off so I can get a better look."

Sam held his injured arm up and out to the side, clenching his teeth as Caroline helped him pull his other arm out of his shirt and t-shirt sleeves. He moaned as she slipped the material over his head and then very carefully slid the clothes down and off of his damaged arm.

"Oh holy shit …"

Sam shivered slightly in the chill of the large room and closed his eyes as Caroline examined his battered body.

"Did James really do this?"

"No." Sam replied quickly, deciding this family had suffered enough.

"Dom?"

Sam was aware of her stepping back from him and opened his eyes to nod quietly.

"We have to call the police."

"No."

Caroline frowned up at him and shook her head in confusion. "Look at you! They beat you half to death, Sam. You need to press charges and - "

"No."

"Okay, look. Amber told me everything that happened. Including the parts right out of the Old Testament." She chuckled softly and combed a hand through her hair. "Listen, I would not have believed it had I not seen the state that guy Dom was in and had him and James insisting it was the truth. But - "

"Caroline, please." Sam's shoulders hung heavily and he gave a tired groan. "You can't call the police."

Caroline studied him for a moment. "What ... because they'll be more interested in you …?"

Sam nodded slowly.

"Great."

"But you're in no danger, I swear. You or Amber. I'm - "

"Buddy, you're surrounded by enough meds to down a herd of elephants." Caroline laughed suddenly and folded her arms as she grinned in amusement, "Not to mention the fact that you'd probably fall on your ass if you stood up right now."

Sam smiled in agreement.

A gentle knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and Caroline bid Amber to return, spinning on her heel to see her daughter step inside, dragging the large portable x-ray machine behind her.

"Dude!"

Sam saw the horror on Amber's face and felt suddenly uncomfortable under her frightened scrutiny. He looked down and saw for himself the pattern of blues, reds and yellows that mottled his chest. It looked just as painful as indeed it was and he could well imagine how hard it was going to be to stop his brother going off on a mad rampage after James. _Dean. Dean's coming. He'll be here soon._

"Come on." Caroline had helped pull the machine into the room and was back at his side, slipping a lead jacket over her head.

Moving once more was painful and he gritted his teeth as he lay down on the black imaging boards Caroline had placed on the table beside him. Sure that he was going to pass out, Sam watched the ominous looking camera that she swung over him and listened to Caroline fussing around him to prepare to take the images. Closing his eyes, he heard the gentle hum and tick of each of the films she took. His mind drifted and he imagined his brother humming a Metallica riff somewhere a few thousand feet up. He did not envy Bobby's task of accompanying Dean on the flight and wondered how the excitable pair were fairing under such tense circumstances. He would have to thank his brother for getting on a plane for him and he could well imagine the part-indignant and part-affectionate reaction that would generate. 

"Okay. Chest and head done." Caroline returned to his side and helped him slowly sit up before hurrying over to flick through the imaging software.

Sitting upright made breathing a little easier and lessened the pressure on his bruised chest. Sam instinctively clutched at his ribs and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, Sam."

Sam turned and saw Amber edging closer.

"I should have stopped him."

"No." Sam countered quickly, "God, please don't blame yourself, Amber. It's not your fault. You helped me. I'm so grateful for that."

Amber sniffed back tears and managed a small smile. "Mom says she wants me to come live with her now."

Sam watched the young girl considering all that had happened, her emotions obvious on her flushed face. "Yeah … I think your dad needs help."

Amber nodded in agreement and hung her head, a slight sob escaping before she then fled the room. Sam watched her disappear through the door and then turned to Caroline. She looked equally distraught for a moment and then moved her focus back to the task in hand.

Crossing back to him, Caroline helped him lay his injured arm on another imaging plate and moaned in sympathy as he winced at the movement. She re-angled the camera and took a few more shots.

Sam watched Caroline move back to the machine and she frowned at the monitor in front of her. He cradled his painful arm and waited patiently as she studied the images.

"Well …" Caroline stood up straight and sighed, placing her hands on her hips as she looked over at Sam. "If you were a Lab, you're owners would faint at the bill I'd be about to hand them."

He smiled in amusement.

Caroline crossed the room and returned his smile. "I'm not exactly shit-hot on human anatomy but it's much the same."

Sam's smile grew. "I'm a Labrador?"

Caroline cocked her head and laughed gently as she studied him. "No. You're more of a Bearded Collie with your bangs and those big soppy eyes."

"Oh, thanks!" Sam replied merrily, suddenly reminded of his brother's teasing and a pang of longing to hear his brother's voice making his chest tighten.

"And this poor puppy has got a broken paw." Caroline continued light-heartedly, pointing at his injured arm. "The ulna is a clean snap."

Sam looked down at the arm laying limply across his lap.

"It'll need to be set." She explained, "Your nose looks worse than it is so I guess you were lucky there but ..." She sighed in sympathy. "You've also got a fractured skull and three broken ribs. I can't see evidence of internal bleeding but I can always do an ultrasound to be sure. For now, I think fluid replacement will make you feel a hell of a lot better." She watched him for a moment and her smile grew. "Plus a nice soft blankie and a juicy bone."

"Yum!"

Caroline grinned up at him as she stepped closer and then groaned softly. "This is not gonna be nice."

Sam saw the hesitation on her attractive face. Sure that she was a popular veterinarian with kids and fathers alike, he wondered if he would need to protect her from his brother's charms and the thought gave him comfort.

"But I've got anesthetic gas and painkillers."

"Groovy."

Caroline nodded and gave a gentle sigh as she headed to the other side of the room. She reached into a cupboard and collected a large bag of clear fluid.

Sam groaned and looked away as he saw the sharp IV catheter she then grabbed. He was aware of her explaining what she was doing and heard her gentle reassurance but he tensed as she took hold of his good arm. He hissed through clenched teeth as the needle was stabbed under his skin and groaned as he felt it slide in further.

"Done." Caroline assured. "That's done."

Sam could feel her connecting the IV line and sticking down the catheter. And then cool fluids rushed up into his arm. It was an odd sensation but soothing somehow and he turned to look down at the line secured in the back of his hand.

"Hmm." Caroline stepped back and smiled up at him. "It's a little easier without all the fur."

Sam laughed gently and he could feel a pleasant warm sensation flow through him as the painkiller she had also given him took effect. He watched her head back across the room and looked on in interest as she wheeled the ominous looking trolley closer and opened the gas cylinders.

Caroline titrated the mix, grabbing the mask and tubing that was connected. "This will sedate you a little so I can pull the bones back into place."

"You what?"

Looking back at Sam, she saw he had become suddenly even paler than before and she groaned in sympathy. She then gasped as his head sank forward and his body crumpled over. "Sam!"

He was heavy and a dead weight against her but somehow Caroline managed to swing him up and sideways. His body slumped back along the narrow table and she panted with the effort it had taken. Quickly checking his pulse and breathing rate, she smiled and patted his shoulder gently. "Of course, you could always pass out. It's much the same." She commented softly and hurriedly moved down to take a closer look at his injured arm.

Noise behind her made her turn and Caroline spun to see her daughter peering sheepishly around the open door. "Oh, honey. I'm glad you're here. Can you help me?"

"Is he okay?"

"He passed out."

Amber sniffed and wiped her face, hurrying across the room.

"We'll need to be quick before he wakes."

"To do what?"

"Set his arm."

Amber watched her mother gently prodding and pressing at the odd lump under Sam's skin. She grimaced and shook her head in revulsion. "That's gross."

"It's just the same as when Oscar broke his leg that time."

"I guess."

"Here." Caroline moved down the bed and gripped Sam's hand and wrist tightly. "Hold his elbow and keep his arm still."

Amber grasped Sam's arm with both hands and looked away as her mother began to pull. She moaned in protest and felt her stomach heave as she heard and felt the crunching of broken bones moving. And then there was a sudden clunk sound.

"Bingo!" Caroline exclaimed in delight.

Daring to look back down at his wrist, Amber saw Sam's arm looked more normal -- if still swollen and bruised -- and nodded in approval. She then felt the muscles beneath her hands tense and she turned to see Sam stirring.

"Easy!" Caroline laid Sam's arm carefully on the table beside him and moved past Amber. "Lie still." She urged, gently pressing her hand into Sam's chest.

"Aw, man …" Sam blinked his eyes open and instantly his face was tight with pain. He lifted his knees and covered his face with his good arm, biting his lower lip.

"Here." Caroline grabbed the vial and syringe and drew up another small amount of the clear liquid.

"Think - " Sam groaned and his body tensed in pain. "I ... ugh ... I might ... throw up."

"Gross!" Amber grimaced in dismay and quickly stepped back from him.

Caroline grinned at her daughter fondly and shook her head. "I guess you're definitely not following into Mom's profession, huh?" She watched Amber give a decisive shake of her head and laughed softly. Looking back at Sam, she placed her hand on his forehead and gently stroked his hair back from his damp skin. "Deep breaths ... you'll be okay."

Sam nodded and hissed a breath through his clenched teeth.

Caroline watched him in concern and her smile slowly returned. "I gave you a Lab dose. Let me know if you're pain is more of a St Bernard."

"Ha ha." Sam offered quietly, uncovering his face and managing a smile up at her. He then frowned as the brightness of the room dimmed and he sighed dizzily.

"What the - ?" Caroline looked up at the lights in confusion. "Oh great. Don't tell me we're gonna have a power outage."

Sam gasped and looked around them in horror as he realized it was not the pain meds that were making the lights and electrical equipment buzz and flicker. He sat up quickly. Too quickly. Toppling sideways and his head spinning, he was grateful for the two pairs of arms that quickly grabbed him. 

"Whoa, big fella!" Caroline helped him get his balance and the caught the uncertain glance he shot her. "Sorry." She grinned sheepishly and patted his shoulder. "Force of habit."

Smiling, Sam nodded and took a moment to catch his breath before then looking to Amber. "Did you bring the salt?"

"Shit, yeah!" Amber responded quickly, "I put some across the front and back door."

"Good girl." Sam sighed in relief, "But we'll need more. We need to seal us in. Doors, windows, pipes, any point of entry."

Amber nodded and made sure he was sat safely on the edge of the table before stepping away to find her duffel bag.

"Salt?" Caroline frowned.

"Keep demons out." Amber replied easily, holding up the packet and seeing the warm smile Sam shot her. Blushing a little, she hurried off to do as he had asked.

Caroline was holding Sam in an uncertain frown and when he turned to face her, she gave a shrug of her shoulders to signify her need for more of an explanation.

"It keeps demons out." Sam repeated quietly.

"There are more?"

_Yeah. It kinda sucks, doesn't it. _Sam nodded. The lights flickered ominously once more and he glanced around them warily. Gripping the edge of the table, he began to slide down onto the floor.

"Wait!" Caroline pushed him back firmly, "I need to cast that." She nodded towards the arm he held protectively against his chest.

Sam sighed and sat back on the table.

Hurrying across to a cupboard by the door, Caroline glanced back at him and smiled merrily. "You want blue, pink or puppy paw-prints?"

"What?" Sam frowned and then saw the bandages she took down from within the cupboard. "Blue will be just fine." He smiled, already able to picture his brother's amused face.

Caroline crossed back over to him with an armful of strapping and cotton wool. "And you would know all this because … what? You're a priest? A folklore major ?"

"A hunter. Of demons and such."

Caroline's frown deepened and she put down her supplies before taking a step back from him. "Okay … forgive me for having a hard time with this but …" She shook her head slowly. "I mean, sure, I heard all about this in Sunday school but …"

"It's true."

"Right …" A skeptical smile grew across her lips and again she shook her head.

"Ghosts, zombies, vampires, demons." Sam sighed, "Just about anything that creeps about in the darkness of our worst nightmares." He saw the horror that filled her face and reached out with his good hand to touch her shoulder. "I know. It's not want we want to hear. But it's true."

"You sound like you're okay with it." Caroline laughed nervously.

Sam shrugged, "I've had a while to get used to it. My dad was a hunter and he told me the truth about the monsters under my bed when I was about 6 years old."

"That's awful!"

"It's not the usual childhood, I guess." Sam offered dryly.

"Jeez …" Caroline held out her hands and Sam carefully lifted his injured arm towards her. She placed two padded splints along his arm, one on top and one underneath his swollen wrist.

Sam held the splints in place and flinched slightly as she began to wrap first a thin cotton bandage and then the thicker, adhesive blue strapping. Her face was serious as she concentrated on being gentle but thorough and he watched her in interest.

"Is that …" She frowned as she started another layer of blue strapping and focused on the task. "Is that really what happened to my daughter?"

"Yes."

Caroline nodded slowly and continued winding the bandage, pulling the top layer tightly to form a firm cast. "I guess …" She cleared her throat and sighed shakily. "I guess I don't want to know the details."

Sam closed his eyes and found an instant replay of his time spent with the demon in question playing quickly in his mind. It made him shudder and he groaned softly. "I think it's best."

Caroline nodded quietly. She smoothed down the end of the strapping and examined her handiwork. "I'll need to take another x-ray. Make sure none of the bones moved."

"Sure." Sam looked up and watched her head back over to the machine. His eyes followed her as she returned and he placed his well-wrapped arm out beside him on the imaging plate. "I'm sorry."

She paused suddenly and kept her head hung low, nodding slightly. "Thanks." She managed and angled the camera.

They both looked across at the door as Amber hurried back inside and she was flushed and breathless.

"You okay?" Sam frowned.

Amber nodded and smiled over at him. "I started running out towards the end but I figure it's the presence of the salt and not the amount, right?"

"Kind of." Sam shrugged.

"Why salt?" Caroline asked in distracted interest, her attention on the imaging equipment.

"The purity of it." Sam answered, "It's been used for centuries as a disinfectant and preservative. Plus there's an ancient belief that a creature such as a demon cannot cross a line of salt without counting every grain. Some cultures simply use rice or other grains." _Geek! _The voice in his head chided warmly.

"Love it!" Amber enthused, "Demon OCD, huh?"

"I guess."

"Looks good." Caroline switched off the x-ray machine and headed back over to Sam. She helped him climb down from the table and supported him as he found his balance. "You should keep it elevated in case the swelling gets worse." Seeing the bag hanging above him was empty, she set about removing the IV catheter and she then pointed at his head, "Now. I ought to stitch that cut."

Sam smiled down at her, "Thanks but I need to go see what's going on." He grabbed his shirt and nodded gratefully as Caroline quickly helped him pull it over his cast and round his body. He heard her gasp of shock as she passed around behind him and he frowned slightly, guessing what she had seen.

"That looks serious." Caroline offered softly.

Sam could almost feel the scar tingle as he thought of it and he shivered as he recalled the sensation of the knife being driven into his spine. "It was." He husked and gave a slight shrug. _I died. And my brother traded his soul to bring me back. _He saw that she sensed his reluctancy to explain further and he swallowed back the lump in his throat. Moving towards the door, he sighed wearily. "Let's go see what's up."

"There was no one out there that I could see." Amber offered, following him across the room.

Turning to her, Sam frowned suddenly and studied her face. "Christo."

"What?" Amber laughed warily as she passed him.

"Nothing." Sam sighed in relief and headed for the door. "Just checking." He followed her into the hallway and peered out through the back entrance door. Beyond the glass panelling the night was still dark and outside all seemed quiet.

"Can't we just use what's left to make a circle around the whole place?" Amber inquired, holding up the salt packet.

"I guess." Sam shrugged. He turned back to see Caroline had moved in close behind them. "Got anything we can write on the walls or windows with?"

Caroline smirked up at him. "What? Like, 'evil things prohibited'?"

"Something like that." Sam nodded.

She sighed wearily, "And then what? Trap ourselves in here and … what?"

"Wait for help."

"Help?" Caroline's smile faded and there was hope in her voice. "Who?"

"More hunters." Sam replied with a warm smile, "My family's coming to get me." The words spilled out before he had time to assimilate them and hearing them made his chest ache with longing. _The cavalry's coming. Dean's on his way. _His smile grew and he tried to convey the reassurance to Caroline.

"I'll go find some markers or something." Caroline agreed and headed off towards the front reception.

Sam turned his attention back to Amber and gasped as he saw her at the end of the hallway, unlocking the door. "No!" He headed towards her as fast as his weary body would allow. "Don't go outside."

Amber backed away from the door fast, as if it had suddenly burned her. She looked up at Sam and her face was troubled. "Why? What's out there?"

Sam sighed and placed his arm around her shoulders. "We just need to be careful. We can make this place safe from the inside."

"Dude, you're scaring me."

_Good. _Sam groaned and slipped his arm around her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I'm just trying to protect you." He smiled softly down at her and then heard footsteps behind them.

"Here." Caroline held out the marker pens. "And we've got purple or green antibiotic spray in the store room. In case you want to make your graffiti colorful."

"Mom!"

Sam laughed and took the pens. "These will be fine." He acknowledged, reading the side of the thick markers. "And I'll wash it off after."

Caroline smiled up at him. "Or not." She saw his frown and shrugged slightly. "I don't know what it is out there that scares you but … hell, maybe you can draw magic symbols on my house as well."

"Sure." Sam agreed, "No problem." He nodded, his smile fading as he turned away and moved towards the door. _Shit, they really have no idea what's coming. Hurry, Dean. Hurry._

Sam gripped the pen as best he could in his right hand and clenched his teeth as his damaged arm protested at the movement. He drew a large circle and then filled it with a pentacle, frowning as he tried to remember the symbol. Placing what he was sure were the correct tokens within the spaces between the star and the inside of the circle, he stepped back and examined the sign.

"Freaky."

Sam turned to Amber and saw her shudder slightly.

"Some of my class have that drawn on their stuff." She explained, looking up at him in intrigue. "You think they know what it is?" Amber saw him shrug in doubt and she shook her head slowly. "This is so unreal …"

The three of them then jumped as the phone began to ring and Caroline looked to Sam for guidance. Seeing him nod slightly, she headed off towards the reception at the other end of the hall.

Sam followed Caroline, mentally drawing a picture of the building in his mind and memorizing escape routes and potential hiding places.

"It's your brother."

Gasping loudly, Sam saw Caroline returning and the phone she held out to him. He sighed in relief and took the handset. "Dean?"

"_Oh Sammy, thank fuck!"_

"Hey!" Sam breathed, closing his eyes. "Man, it's good to hear your voice." His battered body was tired and providing little defense for the emotions that surged inside him. Clearing his tight throat, he took a deep breath. "Where are you?"

"_Headed your way. I got the details from Ellen. Shit, I'm so glad you're okay! What the hell happened? Who was it?"_

Sam smiled, "Long story, dude. I'll explain when you get here." He then frowned and opened his eyes, realizing their situation. "And be real careful. We've got company."

"_Hey? Who?"_

"Demons."

"_Oh. Them again, huh?"_

Sam laughed softly. "Yeah. It's getting old real quick, huh?"

"_I swear there must be some way of blessing the rain or some such shit. Wipe 'em all out in one go."_

Hearing Bobby's grumbled argument in the background, Sam again laughed and could feel tears brewing. "Just get your butt down here, man."

"_We're trying. Best thing we could boost was this crappy Taurus. I'm pushing it as hard as I dare."_

Sam nodded slowly. "Call again when you're close."

"_You got it. And Sam …?"_

The pause was enough. "I know."

"_Later."_

Sam ended the call and stared at the phone for a moment. His mind was racing and his exhausted body just wanted to curl up somewhere and wait. _Not an option, dude. Come on. Pull yourself together._

"You okay?"

Sam turned and saw Amber watching him in concern. He nodded and tucked the handset into his pocket.

"Mom went to go check on her patients."

"Hey?" Sam frowned. And then he heard it. Heading back into the hall, he saw the light coming from the open room and the noise of the unsettled animals. Hurrying towards the sound, he rounded the doorway and looked in on the banks of cages.

Caroline was reaching inside one of the open cages and speaking softly to the occupant within. She turned her head and shrugged towards Sam. "They just went crazy for a second."

Sam's heart was racing and dread sent a cold shiver through him.

"Hey, you guys!"

Amber. Sam moved away from the doorway and padded back towards the reception.

"Dad's back!"

Sam gasped in horror and broke into a run. He flew into the reception area just as Amber opened the front door and a strong gust of wind rushed into the building.

Shielding his face with his arm as papers and dust flew towards him, Sam groaned in dismay and looked down at the floor inside the door. The thin salt line had been blown open and a smart black mule stepped over it.

_Tbc ..._

* * *

_**A/N: **thanks so much for your enthusiastic reviews, guys! I feel kinda bad that you all thought the end of the last chapter was something ominous when it was just a natural place for a break. Sorry! And for the person in Andover ... I try to keep even my OCs fairly accurate - so thank Google for the address of Caroline's vet practice in Meg's home town!_

_The next chapter is the last and wraps things up. Hope you all continue to enjoy. A-5 xx _


	6. Chapter 6

James stepped into the building and smiled wearily.

"Hey, Dad." Amber enthused, hurrying closer to him.

Sam watched James hug his daughter warmly and press a kiss into the top of her head.

"Hey, baby." James murmured softly, pulling her tight against him. He then looked up and met Sam's hesitant frown. "You guys okay?"

Sam's mouth was dry. "Christo." He managed.

"Hey?" James smiled slightly, regarding Sam in wary concern.

The shrieking and wailing of panicking dogs and cats made them all wince suddenly. Sam spun towards the noise and his heart was in his throat.

"What's up with them?" Amber wondered aloud.

Sam was aware of the front door closing and the two of them heading towards him. He froze in the doorway of the reception, unsure what to do. In the corner of his eye he watched Amber and her father approach, their arms wrapped around each other. Along the hall, he could hear Caroline soothing the animals and he was certain she sounded just the same as before.

"I see the doctor has been hard at work."

Sam turned to James and saw him indicate the blue cast on his arm.

"You're lucky she didn't give you an anti-lick funnel round your neck."

Watching Amber chuckle in agreement, Sam managed a thin smile and then turned to meet James' steady gaze. "How's Dom?"

"Fine." James nodded, "I dropped him off at the trauma centre. But he'll not say anything about what happened."

Sam's pulse quickened, "Amber thought you were taking him home."

"What? No! I couldn't just dump him with that leg as it was." James countered, glancing down at his daughter. "It's okay, honey." He offered softly, giving her a gentle squeeze. "It's all over now."

And that clinched it. _Shit.__ He's way too calm._

"Not quite, Dad." Amber sighed, "Sam thinks there's a demon after us."

James gasped and looked back up at Sam in horror. "What? The one that was in Dom?"

Sam took a deep breath, clenching his good hand at his side. "Maybe."

"Oh shit!" James hugged his daughter protectively.

"It's okay." Amber shrugged, smiling up at Sam. "We're making this place safe and Sam's family are on the way."

"Oh. Okay."

Sam watched James in interest. _You're good. But not that good. You don't have him quite right._ "Yeah." Sam smiled thinly, "Maybe you can help. We need to draw some more protective emblems to ward off the evil bastards."

James frowned and looked down at Amber, seeing her nod in agreement. "Okay …" He slipped his arm away from her and dragged his hands through his hair, groaning softly. "Man, it's gonna cost thousands in therapy to get over all this …"

"Maybe you should have gone that route in the first place." Sam offered carefully. The quick glare he was shot in return was understandable and he decided to let it go. But there was no way James was getting out of his sight. _And I need some way to draw the evil bitch to the surface without putting the others in danger. I need Bobby. And fast._

"Amber, you think you can copy what I've drawn?" Sam asked, smiling as he saw her nodding eagerly. "Anywhere the salt is thin." He watched her hurry past him into the hallway and then he moved towards the front door.

Kneeling down, Sam evened out the salt line that had been scattered across the doormat. Watching the reflection in the glass door of James standing behind him, he sighed wearily.

"What can I do?"

Sam stood back up and turned slowly. "Does this place have a kitchen?"

"I think so." James shrugged and then smiled in understanding. "Coffee, huh?"

Sam nodded.

"I'll go check with Caroline."

Following him from the room, Sam could hear that the unsettled patients in the overnight pens were growing more upset the closer James got to them. His heart was pounding in his ears and his mind was running quickly through his options. _Sure, you could probably handle the bitch. But Amber and Caroline will get caught in the crossfire and you can't chance that. Can you?_

Caroline stepped from the kennel room, concerned as to who was approaching and worried about the animals screeching behind her. Seeing James, her shoulders fell and she glared at him in open hatred. "Why the hell are you back here?"

"I came to check on you and Amber." James shrugged, "Caroline, honey, I'm so - "

"Don't 'honey' me, you sick bastard!" Caroline spat angrily, advancing on him. "Get out of here. Now!"

James sighed, "Caroline, please …"

"No! Get the fuck away from us! NOW!"

Sam watched the stand off and held his breath. Aware of Amber hurrying into the hall behind him, he held out his good arm and stopped her beside him. Glancing down at her worried face, he quickly smiled and shook his head.

"Caroline, be reasonable!" James persisted wearily.

"NO! You're sick, James. You need help. And until then you stay the fuck away from Amber. You here me?" Her eyes flashed with fury and she strode closer to him. "Now get the fuck out of here before I call the police."

"You don't want to do that."

Sam shuddered, James was remaining so eerily calm and it was nothing like the disturbed, grieving man he had been previously. He was in fact so calm that his sudden lunge towards Caroline did not register at first. There was a pause before any of them realized what had happened and then Amber screamed.

It was hard to hold her back, his bandaged arm stiff and his ribs stabbing as he held her against him. Sam looked down at Caroline's unmoving form on the floor of the hall and his heart sank.

"No! Daddy, no!" Amber sobbed, fighting against Sam's grip and blinded by tears. "Daddy!"

"Silence!"

Sam gasped in horror as Amber instantly became quiet and still. She sagged back into his arms and he could barely hold her, pain tearing through aching muscles. He could feel her trembling against him and heard her gentle whimpering, she was still conscious but being controlled somehow. Grunting with the effort, he lowered her to the floor and then looked up at James.

James turned slowly and gave a heavy sigh. His face still calm and expressionless, he regarded Sam in quiet interest.

"It's you … isn't it." Sam offered quietly, slowly getting to his feet.

"Hello again, Sam." James' mouth broke into a smile and his eyes turned black.

Sam shivered and took a step backwards, his head spinning.

"I was hoping to stay hidden for a little longer." James continued. "But this stupid bitch forced my hand." He nodded behind him towards the slumped body on the floor. "Women, huh?"

Sam glanced at Caroline and frowned in concern.

"We do get powerfully angry. Don't we?" James observed in amusement, "The more dangerous of the species, huh?"

"Except you're not human." Sam grated.

"True." James shrugged and stepped forwards. "But that doesn't mean I don't have feelings." His smile faded as he neared Sam. "Like grief … or sorrow."

Sam snorted, "Yeah, right."

"You of all people should know what it's like, Sammy. Finding him lying there … dead … gone."

He could not stop the image of his father's body on the floor of the hospital room and Sam swallowed back sudden tears.

"But … unlike you … I saw what happened." James continued forward and looked up at Sam with a slight frown. "I know it wasn't you that killed him."

_Oh god, no. Dean! _Sam stood his ground and tried to stay calm.

"And I've been waiting … biding my time until the moment was right." James suddenly gave a small chuckle. "Never in my wildest dreams was it a _human_ that provided the opportunity to get my revenge."

Sam glanced past James to Caroline's still unmoving body and then looked down at Amber. She was watching her father through tear-filled, sorrowful eyes and appeared to still be in some strange kind of trance.

"They'll be okay." James waited for Sam to look back up at him and nodded in confirmation. "I have no interest in them. Only you. And, if you do as I say, I'll not harm them."

"What?" Sam's voice was tight and he cleared his throat. "What do you want?"

James smiled warmly up at him and gave a slight shrug. "For you to surrender to your destiny and embrace what you were born to be."

Sam backed off a little and quickly shook his head.

"Oh, come on. You've tasted only a small piece of the power you have inside." James' smile grew, "And I know better than anyone how much you enjoyed it."

"No!" Sam husked, his stomach flipping over.

"I've seen your soul, Sammy. I've been in your head." James' smile faded and he groaned softly, "In fact … it was only then that I really understood …" He closed his eyes and sighed. "I was so angry, so focused on revenge. I hated him for all his self-righteous prophesying and his damned stubborn plans."

Sam edged further back from James and frowned in confusion.

James opened his eyes and looked back at Sam. "You know what I mean. Don't you." His smile returned and he laughed slightly. "In fact, you and I are so very similar."

"No!" Sam argued in disgust, shaking his head, "I am _nothing_ like you."

"Oh no?" James countered calmly, "You don't wish that you could have those moments back? To tell him what he meant to you and try to better understand him? You're not filled with this hollow, agonizing grief every time you realize that you can never make up for all that you wish you had never said?"

Sam gritted his teeth and steadied his breathing. _She's playing with you, Sammy. Don't listen. Don't listen._

"And the worst thing is I never saw that he was right. About everything. Not until he was gone." James sniffed back tears and gave another gentle shrug. "And I have you to thank for that."

Sam stared at James in as calm a disinterest as he could manage, his heart racing.

"I sensed the power within you, Sam. And it's still there, waiting to be developed."

"No."

"Yes." James urged, hurrying closer, reaching out towards Sam. "You have no idea of the potential within you."

"NO!" Sam swiped James' hands away from him and retreated along the hall.

James paused and studied Sam in interest for a moment. "No matter. You will understand. When your brother gets here and I send him down to the fires for the murder of my father, you will have nowhere else to turn."

"NO!" Shouting angrily and suddenly advancing on James, Sam felt the air around them move and he froze in fright.

"See?" James laughed in delight, "See what you can do?"

_Don't listen. Don't listen. Don't listen._

"You just wait, Sammy. It feels so good to use it. Soon you won't be able to get enough."

"No." Sam backed through the door to the reception and watched James follow.

James sighed in dismay and his shoulders sank. "You can't fight the inevitable. Just let it happen."

_Oh, I can fight. I will fight with everything I have. _Sam paused in the middle of the reception room and took a deep breath. "You're wrong."

James gave a confident shake of his head.

"I write my own destiny." Sam continued evenly, "And only I decide what I'll do with my future." _Dean would be so proud right now. _"And I'm going to destroy every last one of you." He watched James laugh in delight and renewed anger surged within him. Sam let it build and could feel it grow within him. It frightened him and gave him hope at the same time.

"Such a waste." James sighed in pity.

"I disagree." Sam whispered and focused inward, tapping the fury swirling inside him. It surprised him how easy it was to gather the energy stored there and it scared him that it even existed. But he had known for some time now just what was growing within him and it haunted his dreams.

She was right. The demon within James -- the one that smiled through him now with unbelievable darkness -- had stirred something within Sam when she had forced herself inside him. It had lain there unseen, lurking in the shadowy corners of his mind, and over the past week it had started to emerge. It scared him more than ever but he had kept the secret to himself, unsure exactly what it meant and not certain how those around him would react.

"You were meant to lead us, Sam."

Sam was torn from his thoughts and met James' black, soulless eyes. "No." He smiled and shook his head. "I am going to defeat you."

It was part thought and part physical action. The energy was almost an extension of his hand and flowed unseen from his fingers. Sam flung his arm across the air in front of him and felt a strange connection as whatever he had created slammed into James and sent him flying across the room.

James thudded against the wall and slid down to the floor, groaning in pain but also laughing in delight.

Sam ignored the amusement and quickly glared at the door to the reception, seeing it instantly slam shut on his command. Hurrying over to the door, he quickly drew another encircled pentagram on the white wood and turned back into the room.

"What?" James was getting to his feet and brushing himself down. "You think you can trap me here?"

"For a short while, yeah." Sam sighed, walking slowly towards him. He flicked his hand out towards James and saw him flung backwards, pinned against the wall.

Stepping up before the struggling demon within James, Sam smiled merrily. "You're scared. Aren't you."

"Of you?" James spat angrily, "Don't flatter yourself!"

Sam moved in closer and his smile grew. "No. I can sense it. You're pissing in your pants, bitch."

"Fuck you!"

Sam laughed in delight, "You know, that first day I met you, when you were wearing that cute blonde body, that's exactly what I would have done." His smile faded and he took a deep breath. "But now." He sighed in contentment and leaned in closer. "For her and for everyone else you harmed ... I'm gonna fuck you up."

"You can't."

"No?" Sam quirked an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders, "And just a second ago you were preaching about the power within me." He saw the fear that crossed James' face and his smile returned. "I think you're about to become a test for exactly what it is that I can do."

"No!" James gasped in horror.

Sam was so intent on glaring into the black eyes suddenly so full of fear that he did not register the smashing of the glass front door. Neither did he see the two men that hurried into the building and stared at him in stunned horror.

"Sam?"

Turning suddenly, his eyes falling on the uncertain gaze of his brother, the breath left Sam's body in a weary groan. His shoulders fell and he smiled in delighted relief. It was enough time for his focus to fail and James slipped down the wall, free from Sam's hold.

"Sam! Drop!"

Without a second thought, Sam sank to the floor. He heard Bobby's grunt of effort and saw the blur of some kind of weapon shooting over him. The iron rod sank into James' shoulder and through to the wall behind, pinning him in place. He yelled in pain and his legs crumpled under him, leaving him hanging there limply. Bobby was across the room in a heartbeat, splashing James' screaming form with holy water. Satisfied that the demon was crippled enough for the time being, Bobby climbed up onto one of the waiting room chairs in the reception and began to draw chalk symbols on the roof. 

Sam fell from his crouch to a crumpled heap on the floor and sighed in exhaustion.

"Sam!"

Turning his head towards his brother's voice, Sam saw Dean hurry over and kneel down beside him. Dean's face was filled with questions and Sam shook his head slowly as he tried to sit up. Everything hurt with a new intensity and he winced in pain as he clutched his bandaged arm to his chest.

"Oh god, Sammy. Look at you …"

Sam felt Dean's hands on his shoulders and leaned forward into the touch. He was quickly embraced and he leaned his cheek against Dean's chest. Exhaustion and pain threatened to tear down the last of his defenses and he could feel tears brewing.

"It's okay." Dean whispered quietly, holding Sam as tightly as he dared. "I've got you."

The firm grasp of his brother's arms hurt his ribs but he was past caring. Suddenly longing to crumble into sobs and just keep crying, Sam closed his eyes and focused on steadying his hitched breaths.

"Hey, Sammy. It's okay, now."

"Yeah." Sam pushed back from his brother and smiled tearfully up at him. "It's good to see you, man."

Dean smiled and nodded quietly.

Sam then heard the beginnings of a familiar Latin incantation and he turned his head to see Bobby standing in front of James. The scruffy old hunter was reading the precise phrasing from his journal and the ritual was working well.

James hissed and spat, glaring angrily at Bobby. "I'll find my way out, you fucking bastards. And I'll kill you all!"

"Yeah, good luck with that." Dean offered dryly, helping Sam get to his feet.

James laughed suddenly and turned to Dean, pure hatred in his black eyes. "Oh, you smug son-of-a-bitch! You have no idea what you did." He glanced at Sam and his smile grew. "What you created."

Sam was aware of his brother shooting a wary glance in his direction and kept his focus on James. He saw the shudders that swept through his body and heard the demon crying in pain as Bobby continued. "If you do get out," He offered calmly, stepping closer, "Come find us." Sam smiled icily, "I'll be ready for you, bitch."

Bobby completed the incantation and James screamed. Arching his neck and yelling at the ceiling, the black cloud billowed from his mouth. It was sucked into the chalk design on the ceiling and was gone.

Sam nodded in satisfaction and sighed wearily. Now it was definitely over, he suddenly felt the room spinning and his knees buckled beneath him.

"Wo! Sam!"

Strong arms caught him and lowered him carefully to the floor. Sam leaned back into his brother's embrace and closed his eyes.

"Sammy?" Dean urged.

"Yeah." Sam whispered, "I'm ... I'm here."

"Are there any others?" Bobby asked worriedly.

Sam shook his head and lifted his good arm to point at the door behind him. He heard Bobby hurry across the room and open the door. Amber and Caroline could both be heard crying in the hallway and Sam sighed in relief.

"What the hell happened, Sammy?"

"Later." Sam breathed, resting his head back on Dean's shoulder. "Tired."

"No shit." Dean laughed softly, "You look like holy hell."

"Feels it."

"I was so worried, Sammy." Dean offered, his voice cracking.

Sam felt his brother lean his head down against his and took a moment to enjoy the closeness. "Sorry."

"So you should be. Bitch."

"Jerk."

Dean laughed softly, "Come on, you wimp. Let's get you up." He moved back and slipped his arms under Sam's shoulders, quickly apologizing when his brother whimpered in pain. Helping him from the floor, Dean grunted with the effort. "Jeez, you're heavy."

Sam let himself be guided over to one of the plastic chairs. He sank against his brother heavily and smiled gratefully as Dean wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Keeping his eyes closed he was vaguely aware of Amber rushing into the room and crying out as she saw her father.

"Sam?"

_Caroline_. Sam blinked his eyes open and smiled weakly up at her.

"Oh, he'll be fine." Dean offered lightly, "He's just milking it."

Sam's smile grew.

"Oh, I think he's in pretty bad shape." Caroline countered.

The arm around him squeezed him tighter and Sam could feel Dean nodding.

"We'll look after him." Dean assured.

_What? That's it? You're not fishing for her number? Man, I must be in quite a mess. _Sam sighed and sank a little more against his brother.

"Hey. It's okay." Dean whispered, "Let's just see this guy is okay and then we'll find you a nice soft bed. Sam?"

Sam nodded an affirmative. _Shit, Dean. If you knew who this guy was … _The thought sent a shudder through him and that generated another reassuring squeeze from his brother. It felt good and he could feel fresh tears stinging. _God, Dean, I'm scared, man. I'm so scared._

"Okay, we'd better go."

Bobby's voice brought Sam out of his musing and he felt Dean begin to move away from him. He let himself be lifted to his feet and staggered between the two of them, the world dancing around him as he was led out to the waiting car.

The wide back seat was surprisingly comfortable but he supposed that just about anything soft would be bliss after metal exam table or concrete. He shuddered at the memory and let his head sink back against the jacket Dean placed on the door as a makeshift pillow. His feet were lifted up onto the seat and a warm blanket was thrown over him. He was then aware of someone planting a kiss on his cheek and he forced his eyes open. 

"Sorry. All out of bones." Caroline smiled down at him and then sighed heavily. "Thank you, Sam."

Sam looked into her blood-shot eyes and understood her meaning. He nodded slightly and closed his eyes. Feeling the car rocking as she climbed back out, he then heard his brother offering a number to call if she needed to talk. _Smooth. _Sam smiled to himself and sighed in dismay. _Still. I wouldn't have you any other way._

Suddenly feeling very safe and unbelievably tired, Sam let his body sink into the seat. He was vaguely aware of Amber saying a tearful goodbye and was sure he heard sirens in the distance. Then he felt the movement of the car as Dean and Bobby climbed into the front.

The quieter noise of the newer car's engine starting up seemed wrong somehow. Then he thought he heard Dean remarking to Bobby something about the vet being 'shit-hot' and Sam knew everything was as it should be. Even the nagging doubt somewhere in the pit of his stomach that there were going to be questions he could not answer and uncertainties that he would probably never settle. But his brother was sitting at arm's length from him and complaining about the sensible 'mom-mobile' that Bobby had hot-wired. Sam heard Bobby's gruff reply and sensed the affection in which it was said.

"You okay, Sammy?"

Sam quirked an eye open and saw his brother leaning round to look at him. He nodded a reply.

"You know, I even packed you a pair of those pansy new shorts."

Sam grinned merrily.

"And I had to get on a plane." Dean groaned, watching his brother in the rear-view mirror. "You have any clue how much of a pain in my ass you are?"

Sam licked his dry lips and laughed wearily. "Love you too, man." He replied in a whisper and saw his brother smiling happily.

Dean cleared his throat and shrugged as he flicked on the radio.

Sam closed his eyes and knew he could at last give in to his exhaustion. _Safe. _Sudden adrenaline surged at the notion and every injury seemed to remind him just how wrong he was. _Dean's gonna freak. And Bobby's gonna give me that 'what the hell ARE you?' look of his. _He clenched his good hand into a tight fist and tried to calm his breathing.

And then the voice in his head that sounded so much like his dad started soothing him softly. And it felt so good to find a warm memory of the man, instead of misunderstanding and unresolved guilt from fighting with him. Recalling nights from long in the past when he would rush to the open front door to grab his father's leg and beg him not to leave them alone again, he could see his dad's smiling face and feel the gentle touch of his hand ruffling his hair. _Dean's right here, Sammy. Everything will be okay. _He swallowed back his tears and let contented sleep at last wash over him.

_-- FIN_ --


End file.
